Once Awake
by CasualGryphon
Summary: We know that the Primordials are their domain, but what if the domains ran themselves? What if Helix, when he brought everything into existence, never expected the domains to gain consciousness? What if they did anyway, and how does that affect our Heroes? First fic Hope you enjoy! Rating is going up! Some stuff is getting heavier so just in case really Rated M for mature themes.
1. Chapter 1

**Hey guys CasualGryphon here saying thanks for taking the time to read this and hope you enjoy. I did write this Fic with this website in mind since you guys never fail to entertain me or make me cry or laugh. Mostly inspire which is why this is going up. Hope you like and without further ado I hope you enjoy my first fic! (No flames Please!)**

 **Obviously I do not own PJAO or HOO cause I ain't Rick Riordan. I only own my OC's and plot.**

Once Awake

Prologue:

Have you ever considered what makes something a being? Is it their intelligence? Their consciousness? The very fact that they are?

Truthfully the definition of a being has long since been debated but none know the answer. So be wary when you address something not of the same origin as yourself. That Being may very well be older than you; by seconds, by years, by millennia, or by Eternities on end. For some things _are_ without ever having the intention of doing so. Without consent, without their own will being involved, some Beings _Are_. And They despise that to their very core; absolutely despise what they were born to, what they were born _as_.

For these beings there is no rest, no death or life for that matter, as they simply are. They are incontestably…Absolute.

Chapter 1: Liquid Platinum

Artemis POV

The woods were alive. Birds were singing, the trees were rustling as the wind whipped through them, and the air…It was crisp, cool, and serene.

She let loose a long sigh as she continued forward through the underbrush. Her brother was lazily making his way across the sky, the light straining through the trees only adding to the mellow atmosphere. Along with the mild temperature, it was perfect. A stark contrast to Artemis who was currently slightly numb to the great day around her.

Zoë's death was still fresh in her mind and she couldn't even find it in herself to blame that _male_ as he had become her friend. If anything, she respected him. She could at least tolerate his presence, which is more than she could say for the rest of the male populace, and it was not only Zoë's acceptance of him, but the genuine heart break in his eyes as she died, that added to her view of him. Add him holding the sky and admitting he could never do this without her? The humility in him was something unique.

She sighed again as she continued looking for lunch for the remainder of the Hunt. She had seen deer tracks a ways back but in her thoughts she seemed to have lost them. She huffed, deflated at the loss of prey and hoped she would be able to scrounge at least a rabbit and possibly some grouse on the way back to the camp. She could, of course, just summon food but where is the fun in that? She still continued on hoping to stumble across something edible.

Then, she heard a rustle, barely audible to anyone without godly hearing but it was a rustle nonetheless. The sound reminded her of something brushing past a bush. She nocked an arrow and gently crept towards the area where she perceived the sound to have originated from and noticed that it seemed to come from a copse of wide trunked Pines. As she crept around the corner and drew her arrow, prepared to skewer whatever creature had been unfortunate to cross her path as either predator or prey. Instead she found herself frozen, unable to do anything except breathe.

Her eyes widened at the sight of a wolf. A pure black wolf, as if Erebus himself had come and torn the color from every strand of the creature's lush fur. That wasn't the issue however. The issue was the fact that the beast towered ten feet on all fours as it held its head regally upwards, eyes closed. The light of the falling sun caught the features of his muzzle and ears, revealing how absolutely pristine the appearance of the beast was. It was only made more unbelievable as she saw the mass of shadows that continued to writhe around behind the massive canine.

"1… 2… 3… 4…" she counted off. It was hard to place how many of the long tails the beast had as they continued to simply flow as if independently conscious.

And that was her mistake.

The beast turned and looked directly at her and she felt her jaw drop. How could it not? He, she presumed, had silver eyes. Not her slightly yellow, silver eyes, but radiant, liquid platinum eyes that screamed of regality, demanded it. Then she realized she had not yet lowered her bow as the wolf seemed to look on cautiously, unmoving as he fixed her with his brilliant eyes.

She carefully and slowly pulled the arrow away from the bow and slid it back into her quiver. The wolf raised its head and its ears perked up in curiosity, as if realizing there was no longer a threat in front of him. She slowly stood as she had no idea what the beast was capable of and was most definitely not a mortal wolf. The elegance and power it held itself with when it had seen her bow showed he was a veteran; a skilled one at that, she noted as she saw not so much as a scratch on the beast.

She had merely blinked when the beast appeared centimeters from her face, head lowered to meet her eyes as he towered over her meager 5'5" stature in her 12 year old form. All of her instincts screamed for her to pull her knives but the eyes of the beast quickly shot that thought down as she saw no ill will within them. Only… curiosity and slight amusement directed at the goddess. She heard Thalia calling out for her in the distance and turned her head to see if she was within view range. She turned back to the wolf who was looking off in Thalia's presumed direction. Without warning he neared her face again and quickly sniffed at her and around the frame of her face as if memorizing her scent. Then he met her eyes once more before letting show what she could only presume was a wolfish grin and licked her nose. Too shocked to move, much less splutter in outrage, she barely had time to register the wolf slipping past her and bounding away in the opposite direction of Thalia. By the time she turned to follow he was already a good forty feet away. How had he moved that fast? Rather than being able to race after the beast it simply inclined his head at her confused expression and then bowed; much to her surprise.

He lifted his head, turned, and vanished off into the fading afternoon.

Thalia arrived shortly after his departure, obviously not having seen the beast and came to stand next to her.

"I see you already caught dinner, not to mention this looks like a cozy place to regroup and reset camp in." She noted, gesturing to the copse she had found the beast in.

"Wait. What do you mean dinner?" Thalia chuckled at her mistress' antics as she turned and gestured to the very large, and very dead, bear that was lying at the far side of the copse.

"Brilliant shot by the way Lady Artemis." Thalia said as Artemis only then registered the silver arrow sprouting from the bears left eye. Quickly she sent Thalia to grab the rest of the hunters from their temporary camp of sorts and bring them over while she would take care of dinner. Thalia nodded and sprinted of in the direction of the Hunters while Artemis approached the bear. The kill was clean, indefinitely fresh, and that was most definitely her arrow.

There was only one thing was sure of; that was definitely not your average wolf.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Hey Peeps CasualGryphon back again. Hope you're enjoying the story so far and I have more for you yet! I'm curious to see how much you guys are enjoying the story so far so I'm gonna encourage you to review if you can just so I know what I'm doing right/wrong. That being said welcome to Chapter 2!**

 **Obviously I am not Rick Riordan so I do not own PJO or HOO I am a simple Gryphon. I own any original plot and/or characters.**

Chapter 2: Serendipitous Encounters

Artemis was typically rather wary of anyone or thing following her. Mostly because she was the Goddess of the Hunt, she was supposed to be the one doing the following, not the other way around. That being said, she was entirely sure the wolf she had seen was definitely remaining within close proximity to the Hunt. However, this could not be confirmed as she had only caught a stray glimpse of a large black figure every now and again. Further ruining her typical behaviour, she was not in the slightest bit worried about it.

One time she had even found remnants of golden dust lying around the edge of the area the Hunt had been camping in before going off on a small excursion for some fruits and herbs to go with dinner. Another time had been when the hunt was trapped in the middle of at least 40 rogue monsters and got out with minimal scratches and a few unconscious maidens. The curious part is that the dracanae who were meant to be acting as archers towards the edge of the forest had left no trace of their presence. Their bows, arrows, and odd daggers seemed to have all vanished rather than drop as the typical spoil. On the walk back they noticed they were missing a sister, presuming she had gone ahead to make sure nothing was waiting for them at the camp and they continued onwards.

When they had arrived Atlanta was passed out lying beside a pile of spoils that seemed to be the dracanae weaponry. When she came to a half hour later, all she could remember was being hit by a cyclops club while she was bringing up the rear of the Hunt prior to the ambush, and then a wall of black and liquid silver before waking up. Most of the Hunt was confused as to who or what it was that saved Atlanta, but Artemis had her suspicions.

In her curiosity she left a venison steak out towards the edge of the camp one night as she was on duty and kept a keen eye on it from her chariot just in case the lupine guardian angel decided to show his furry face. As it was nearing the end of her shift, per se, she let loose a quick yawn only to open her eyes and find the dish she had left the venison steak on missing. When she arrived back at camp the dish was placed in the sink of the kitchen tent and licked clean of all traces of the steak.

She couldn't help but keep thinking this was definitely not your average wolf. She wished she could meet her Hunt's escort but at the same time she was slightly miffed that something was protecting her girls. Granted she was thankful for Atlanta's rescue, she was giving this wolf too much thought. Sure he wasn't normal but why should she care about another random beast that could possibly be a monster?

"Milady?"

Artemis jumped at the sound of her lieutenant's voice

"Apologies for startling you, but we've been waiting for your order for our next move. You've been staring off in the distance, something on your mind Milady?"

Artemis met Thalia's gaze and considered ranting about the mysterious beast. She quickly thought better of it as talking about a 10 foot tall, multi-tailed, void black, hyper intelligent wolf that managed to stay within close proximity to her Hunt without her knowing would likely make her sound crazy. Instead, she chose to bring up the less savory topic, her family was procrastinating.

"Yes, unfortunately with the mounting war upon the Titans, the Olympians are having too many meetings without any true progress as Father assumes we can win this war without asking for demi-god help. In the meantime though, feel free to take a break with your sisters and have a bit of-"

Whatever she said was cut off by a joyous squeal. Glancing at her Lieutenant she quickly took off from the edge of the camp where she had been contemplating the wolf.

Speak of the devil. However what she found was an angel instead.

She and Thalia arrived at the edge of the clearing after following the happy squeals, joyous laughter, and bubbly giggling. They found the wolf very happily prancing around with a 9 year old blonde girl on his back. She was being bounced around as he trotted, and hung on tight, letting out the odd squeal as he lunged covering 10 feet in easy, lazy bounds. His lustrous tails trailed behind him as he shook and shivered, lightly jostling her. She simply enjoyed herself, hanging on to the huge wolf, her grin threatening to split her face.

He stopped quickly and threw her a look. She made a confused face before understanding dawned on her. She grinned, nodded, and shifted up closer to his massive neck. She got a grip before he took off a brisk jog straight towards the biggest tree in the area. A solid Spruce with a trunk that was a least 8 feet across.

Thalia yelped in fear as he didn't slow down, instead he sped up and jumped. It was an impossible sight as he soared regally through the air, tails flowing gracefully as he made contact with the tree forepaws first. He didn't bother slowing down as he ran up the tree. Thalia's face went from fear to confusion to awe in seconds flat. The wolf kept going for about 20 feet up the tree. And then sprung backwards. His tails quickly cushioned the young girl to his back as she laughed happily as they flew through the air. He twisted and spiraled through the air eliciting squeals of happiness from the youngling on his back. After one last barrel roll the wolf flipped and landed lightly, not a sound was made, not even the crinkle of leaves as they set down. The tails removed themselves from the young girl.

She sat up giggling uncontrollably and promptly slipped right off the wolf's back.

Artemis instinctively sprang forward out of the underbrush to catch her. Turns out she didn't even need to as two of the prehensile tails swished out and caught her and let her slide down to the ground giggling the whole way.

"Thanks Noir," she managed to get out between giggles. The newly named Noir swung his head to where the little girl landed near his side and gently nuzzled her. She contently wrapped her hands around his muzzle and snuggled into his huge head. She soon erupted into more giggles as he lifted her up while she was still on his muzzle. She was now 10 feet up, perched on his muzzle. He closed his eyes and she scrambled up onto his head and sat happily on his neck and tickled his ears. They flicked around as he held a wry grin. Or as much as a wolf could. Artemis straightened and adjusted her stance. In doing so, she stepped upon a rather inconveniently placed stick that did not snap and draw attention. Rather it rolled beneath her and she fell unceremoniously on her rump with a startled, "Umph!" Thalia had followed her Mistress when she rushed forward to catch the little girl. Now both lieutenant and leader were stuck out in the open where the wolf had trained his liquid platinum eyes upon them.

The little girl upon his head looked up wide eyed, and with a startled, "Eep!" slid down his head onto his back where she was quickly engulfed in his tails for safety. She tentatively peeked out from behind the tails.

"Wh-Wh-Who are y-you?" She stuttered out.

Artemis was about to reply when she was once again interrupted.

"Milady!" was chorused as her Hunters popped into the clearing and took one look at the wolf before arrows were drawn and loosed.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Hey guys you know who it is. I don't know if the views I've gotten in such a short period of time is good or bad but don't really care. Got me really excited to double chapter update! WooooooT! Hope you enjoy and you know the drill!**

 **I don't own PJO or HOO I only own my OC's and Original plot. Don't forget to review and have fun with the chapters!**

Chapter 3: A New Recruit

Artemis didn't call out the hold fire order in time. At least 25 arrows quickly made their way through the air with lethal accuracy. The tails housing the girl didn't even twitch and neither did Noir, in fact, he looked rather bored. The rest of his seemingly endless tails extended longer than normal and swept aside the wall of arrows. Her girls didn't get the chance to reload as a terrified scream was heard. They all looked towards the trembling mass of tails that were still coiled around his back. The girls quickly lowered their bows at their Mistress' order. And watched with baited breath as the wolf examined them for the slightest threat. Radiant piercing eyes scrutinized every single one of them. Each froze beneath his gaze except for Atlanta who only looked confused, as if she were trying to remember something.

When Noir was finally satisfied with the lack of danger, and motion altogether from the Hunt save for their breathing, he swung his head around to where the small girl would be and gingerly uncoiled his tails from around her. Two rejoined the uncountable mass that was behind him and one stayed lightly about her as she hung onto it for dear life. He met her frightened gaze and gently nudged her. She nuzzled him back and finally let go of his tail. Noir reached behind her and picked her up by the back of her dress. With a startled yelp she was in the air being carried like a pup and set upon the ground in front of him. She smoothed out her ratty dress and turned and looked up indignantly at Noir seemed to be chuckling at her. She pouted and turned away from him. She then seemed to realize where she was and quickly slipped behind his forelimbs.

If Artemis wasn't a goddess she would have sworn that she had hallucinated the wolf rolling his eyes. She didn't have time to contemplate Noir's unnatural behaviour though as he slowly started walking towards her. Most of the Hunters reached for their weapons but stopped at their Mistress gesture. Noir approached with a pace the small child could match and stopped a few yards from her. He met her gaze and gracefully lowered his head in a bow. The small girl saw this and mirrored his bow from just beside his huge paws. They both raised their heads. The child looked up with a question in her eyes. He simply nodded towards Artemis and let her step ahead of him. She looked back once more only for him to lean down and gently nudge her forward. She took the reassurance with a small smile and closed the distance between them to a few feet.

She took a deep breath and met Artemis's gaze, "My name is Lily," she said confidently then fidgeted a little, "Noir said that you helped girls with nowhere to go?"

Artemis was stuck on how the giant wolf managed to tell her such but now that she looked at the newly named Lily, she realized how much of state she was in. Her hair was a mess, her dress just short of being tatters, and she looked slightly bruised up. She realized she must have been a demi-god as the unusual wolf would likely not bring a mortal to her. She looked up to Noir and saw the confirmation within his eyes.

"My name is Artemis. I am the goddess of the Hunt and I take in maidens when they have nowhere else to go, after they have been betrayed by the disgusting males of this world, and give them a new life," She finished.

Lily looked thoughtful, "So…you give them a new home? A family?" she seemed to grow more exited with each word.

"Yes Lily, you would gain all these new sisters," she gestured to Thalia and the rest of her hunters, "You would be immortal once you grow a little, then you get to travel all around the world with us. Staying in the woods fighting monsters. We give you a bow and knives and teach you how to hunt and fend for yourself. Would you like to join my Hunt, Lily?"

Artemis really didn't need to ask. Lily was practically bouncing around with excitement. She ran over to Noir and ran around his legs, squealing excitedly.

"Can I? Can I? Can I? Pleeeeeeeaaaassssseeee?" she asked Noir.

He simply huffed and nodded as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. However, what was more confusing than the huge wolf simply agreeing, was the fact she asked him in the first place. Lily happily bounded over to Artemis and tackled her in a huge hug that toppled the both of them, sending her to the ground beneath a nine year old chanting "Thank you," like the words would disappear. She joined her hunters at chuckling at the small child's antics. She looked over her head towards Noir after she had her recite the pledge. He looked on, joy radiating in his eyes, nodded and turned to walk away.

"WAIT!" He turned back around at Lily who was still standing beside Artemis. "I thought you said you'd stay?" Despite how happy she was the wolf had been her savior and her guardian, Noir was her friend and brother, his voice had soothed her through the nights when nightmares of monsters had plagued her. She had never questioned the voice of the wolf in her head, the voice that resonated in her mind, as he had never led her astray. He would never abandon her, and now, new family or no, she would not leave him alone. He, in all his wisdom, had been lonelier than she had ever seen anything be ever before. He thought she didn't notice, but he radiated whatever he was feeling if he wasn't careful. She didn't know how she knew the animal held great power and sorrow, but that was another thing she didn't question.

He simply looked at her and grinned a wolfish grin. Then, he vanished. Between one blink and the next he was gone as if he had never existed in the first place. Artemis and the Hunters were dumbstruck as Lily simply felt herself tear up. This proved to be short lived as she was suddenly tossed 20 feet up into the air in a swift motion, shrieking all the way to the peak and looked down at a very smug looking Noir. He then vanished again catching her on his muzzle and tossing her into the nest of soft tails that she always made her den.

Though the Hunters didn't know it yet, they had just been joined by the perfect companion for both down time and battle. But that was something they would find out later. For now, they simply watched without objection and the huge canine simply juggled Lily on his tails. Letting her slide from one to the next occasionally tossing her up into the air and catching her again as she giggled and laughed. The Hunters simply smiled at the interaction.

"Well…we already travel with wolves. What difference will a ten foot tall one make?" Thalia asked her Mistress.

Artemis's smile never faltered as she looked on in amused contentment, "Truthfully Thalia? I have a feeling that is not an ordinary wolf."

Thalia looked at her Mistress and reduced her smile to a wry grin,

"What gave that away?"


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4: A Worthy Companion

Any objections Artemis thought she would have about the giant canine accompanying her Hunt went completely out the window. Noir's regal air was not just for show as he gracefully traveled alongside the Hunters back to camp with Lily on his back. He moved swiftly and so quietly Artemis had a tendency to forget he was there altogether. After all, having searched occasionally for the supersized mystery wolf, she never expected to see him lazily bounding along with her Hunt. She would still need a bit of time to adjust to the giant stealth wolf but her Hunters seemed almost happy with his addition already.

She honestly had expected more protest, but with Noir being as friendly and cute as he was, they quickly died down. Especially since her still adapting Hunters had a tendency to trip once in a while, and when they did, he would have a tail reach out and steady them. Even Hunters got tired, so the odd younger member actually ended up on his back along with Lily, chatting quietly as they made their way back to camp. Lily was no exception as she was quickly making friends with all of the other Hunters. It seemed she wasn't too shy as long as she was comfortable. That comfort was found quickly as all her Hunters were exceptionally welcoming with younger girls.

They had yet to hear her story but that could wait, first she had to get her properly fitted in the typical Hunter gear.

\- Yay! My first Line Break! -

Lily walked out of her tent in a silver parka, jeans, two small hunting knives strapped to her waist, and a bow on her back with the signature silver arrows in her quiver strapped across her torso. She practically bounced her way over to Noir who was contentedly lying down near the campfire as the Hunters bustled about preparing for dinner. She was curious about how they were going to feed the huge wolf, but that could wait. Especially with Lily jumping around an amused looking Noir who watched as she pranced around showing off her new gear. The wolf raised his head off of his paws and nodded in approval.

"Lily!" Thalia called, "We need to get you situated with a tent but for tonight you might have to share. Would you mind sharing with me?"

She seemed to think about it for a second, then shook her head. "If you don't mind I think I'll stay with Noir." Thalia looked at her with a question in her eyes, then at Artemis. In response Artemis shrugged as the child seemed inexplicably attached to the massive wolf. Artemis herself was still pondering how the wolf had been able to converse with the small child and knew about her protection of young maidens. Truthfully the beast was a mystery that, for now, posed no threats and, judging by how easily he knocked aside a swarm of arrows, would be a brilliant ally. They still had yet to hear Lily's tale but figured that could wait until the campfire. For now it was time for dinner.

She shot a look to Thalia that said, "Later" and nodded to Lily. She smiled and continued to tell Noir about how much of a cool female ninja she was gonna be as he looked on in contented amusement.

"Dinner is ready!" Artemis along with the rest of the hunters gathered at the dining tent along with noir who padded along quietly with Lily on his head. Considering that the tent wasn't designed for massive 10 foot wolves, he settled for laying down with his massive head in the entrance to the tent. Lily gave him a quick scratch behind the ear which sent his mass of tails into a pleased frenzy as they whipped every which way. Truthfully, Artemis really needed to figure out how many there were. But, before that, she focused on her Hunters who had piled their plates high. After formally introducing Lily to the entire Hunt they dug in after the typical sacrifice to her. She left the head of the table, seeing as Lily was busily eating and laughing at the other Hunter's jokes, and ventured to see Noir. It took her a second to realize they were missing one huge shadow wolf from the tent entrance and as such she took a quick peek outside. She found Noir happily munching on a bear that seemed to have serendipitously arrived nearby to be eaten. She was worried about cleaning up the carcass but that was a waste as she watched him practically inhale the bear, bones and all. All that was left was a small blood stain, and a stuffed wolf happily licking his chops. She was astounded as to how not a single bit of his fur was out of place. Artemis was almost annoyed that she knew so little about the beast that was traveling with her Hunters and why she trusted it so easily.

He had just happily gorged himself on an entire bear bone and all she could think, looking at his sleepy face, was how cute he was with his eyes slowly drooping. Too many thoughts were on her mind when a hand landed on her shoulder sending her 3 feet up in the air. She turned to see Thalia looking at her, concerned.

"What's on your mind, Milady?" Artemis sighed, suddenly very weary with the addition of a truck sized wolf that she couldn't seem to bring herself to be bothered by. If this was a monster then it was nothing like anything she had ever seen before, which wasn't good. If creatures so old she didn't even know what they were are awakening then the upcoming war would become a whole lot more difficult.

"Just trying to wrap my head around our new compatriot," she gestured towards the drowsy wolf next to the campfire the Hunters were gathering around. "I have no idea why he doesn't make me uneasy much less why I call him a 'him' instead of an 'it'. Something about this wolf doesn't put me on edge but it's something I have never seen before. I question what else may awaken. We have already seen the Ophiotaurus and now there is a giant wolf with uncountable tails that no one is bothered by?" She shook her head, "I don't know what it is Thalia but my instincts do not react to him at all, almost as if he has always been there and only now do I notice him."

Thalia nodded solemnly as if coming to the same conclusion. "Perhaps we should bring this to the council? Beasts unknown roaming about the earth can only lead us to expect the same from both sea and sky."

Artemis agreed with her Lieutenant and dismissed her to the campfire, contemplating how she was going to get the beast to Olympus with her. She loosed a long sigh and decided she would deal with it tomorrow after a night's rest. First, however, it was s'more time with her Hunt. She sat with Lily, using Noir as a back rest as he curled around the fire in a crescent moon shape (the irony was not lost on her) as many of her Hunters were joining in. She realized this was the first time she had actually felt his fur even after knowing about him for weeks. By Chaos, he was soft and plushy, and it took every ounce of her self-control not to snuggle into the warmth of his fur. Unfortunately many of the girls caved and did exactly that, even Thalia let out a low moan of contentment. She blushed and very quickly recomposed herself as many of her sisters chuckled at her. She looked ready to turn them into a melted gooey mess but that was before a giant plush tail laid itself across the girls that had situated themselves against the owner's body, acting as a huge blanket.

Artemis was barely surprised at the lack of uncomfortable heat despite the close proximity to the fire. She was learning quickly that this wolf would hold more surprises than Hermes' pockets after a night of drunken pickpocketing. Trust her, it's happened more than once with rather… intriguing results. Up to this day she had no clue where in the world anyone managed to find bacon flavored condoms of all things…

After laughs and many s'mores, the girls started to turn in save Thalia who had opted to stay with Lily outside curled up with Noir. Having been woken by the departure of the Hunters Noir took in the sight of the sleeping 9 year old on his flank with a drowsy daughter of Zeus close to joining her in the land of Morpheus. He lightly picked them both up and curled up more tightly until he was almost a full circle. He gently replaced the girls on 2 of his tails that acted like a mattress, while the others very promptly curled the rest of the way around them. It formed a pitch black dome of comfort and Noir put his head down for the night. Artemis got up to head for her tent once she was sure all her Hunters were situated. She cast a quick glance back at the Wolf who was nodding off and threw and good night over her shoulder as she walked.

Something warm, calm, pleasant, and reassuring entered her mind. A presence that brushed against every corner of her mind with a tenderness she did not believe possible and a kindness that made her heart stop. The voice that followed was liquid velvet, made of deep bass baritone notes, and a melodiousness comparable to the ebb and flow of tides at midnight, with the lightest kiss of wind.

 ** _Goodnight, Milady of the Moon_**

Just as quickly as it had come, it was gone. She actually whimpered at the loss of the presence (though she would profusely deny it if anyone asked) and turned around to find the source. There was no one there except for her and Noir. Noir's eyes were closed, and his breathes were even. But there was no doubt, Noir had spoken.


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Kay so I got bored and decided to write another chapter so count yourselves lucky! XD Jk, love you guys for reading through what I sent up so far and I'm really flattered this has gotten so many views and visitors so thanks for the support! Hope you guys are having as much fun with this as I am because its getting kinda addicting bringing my thoughts to life. Anyway on with the story! Welcome to Ch.5 and hope you're enjoyed the rest of the story so far!**

 **Typical disclaimer stuff, I don't own HOO or PJO cause I'm not Rick and whatnot. I own my plot and OC's and that's it. That said, ENJOY!**

Chapter 5: Of Gods and Confusion

Artemis dreamed, which was unusual in its own right, of the universe.

But not like anything she had ever seen before. She stood upon nothing, floating in a globe of some kind.

Surrounding her were galaxies upon galaxies, stars, nebulae, black holes, planets, moons, asteroids and so much more. A light source she couldn't begin to describe, that moved fluidly almost as if- no it was in fact alive. It was reptilian in a way, scaled and radiant slithering through the cosmos bringing light to galaxies and swallowing black holes as if they were a delicacy. She watched in awe as more simply spawned in their place, pulling galaxies together, launching asteroids into other black holes and planets. Her eyes couldn't believe what they were seeing. The warmth upon her skin was welcomed as the serpent slithered up to her. She met its eyes, or at least tried to as the monstrous reptile had 3 pairs of them. Each pupil was a slit, which was no surprise, but the surprise was in the fact that the pupil was literally nothing. They lacked existence altogether while the pupil simply was. It wasn't a color, or energy, it just was. As if existence was woven into its iris, and was constantly feeding the pupil as strings of _everythin_ _g_ disappeared into the void and then were replaced.

 ** _Gorgeous is he not?_**

She turned to hear the voice she had been contemplating at million thoughts a second before she fell asleep. She couldn't see the man entirely, all she saw was eyes so large it was unbelievable. They were attached to a darkness so profound she figured Erebus would not dare challenge it. She stepped back and bumped back first into the massive serpent and quickly spun. The _serpent_ was bowing! She quickly followed suit only for the voice to chuckle warmly.

She is not ashamed to say melted upon the spot. Her knees buckled and despite how much she fought it was too much. The presence in her mind was enough to lull her to a peaceful rest but in person? He bones ceased to exist and her muscles followed suit. She almost fell but was quickly caught by the serpent's tail and sat upon it. She finally managed to find the strength to look into the eyes of dream Noir and lost it all over again, the liquid platinum was replaced by Quasars and Singularities. Light danced around the irises in patterns Athena could not imagine in her wildest dreams; and the sclera was so pure her heart stopped once again. The pupils were what did her in, they were not void, but quite oppositely an infinite expression of life, warmth so profound her skin crawled, care so tender it successfully made every cell of her immortal being resonate with happiness, and beauty. Gods above so much beauty, it broke the very foundations of what she believed to be appealing. Her whole world was re-written in just his eyes.

He simply chuckled once again

 ** _Perhaps it is too soon yet for you to know me? Maybe with a little more time young one, you will be ready for our formal introduction._**

He began to leave and she whole fully dreaded losing the sight of his eyes. She couldn't even find a part of herself opposed to this male. Out loud she actually whimpered as he lifted his head to leave, eliciting laughter that rocked her existence to its foundations. She felt like a child who lost her parents, alone and without, left in loneliness. She attempted to reach out but was instead pushed back by some unseen part of Noir. Observing him rewrote her existence, contact? She couldn't begin to describe, the loneliness replaced with all things good. The only thing that came close to a description was perfection and even that word fell so incredibly short of the experience, it was as if using an atom of water to present the ocean.

 ** _In due time young one, in due time. I am not unreachable as you would believe, I am as close as can I can possibly be to your world right now child. I will reveal myself soon enough. Time is with you for now youngling, but action must be taken. Now return to your own mind, I believe you have work to do._**

She was thrown back into a dreamless sleep despite trying to claw back to what she could only presume was Noir's mind scape.

 ** _Maybe I will send_** ** _κόσμος_** **_with you?_**

The Serpent, she translated as Cosmos looked at him,

 ** _Perhaps…but not quite yet. Heed my words Maiden of the Moon, they may very well be your saving Grace._**

He chuckled as if enjoying a joke before sending her a wink, and then everything was black.

Artemis shot awake with tears streaming down her face, not out of sadness but the warmth of his touch still echoing in her soul. Never had she yearned for the presence of a _male_ but Noir's made her very existence sing, every cell resonated this revelation and then something clicked.

 **NOIR WAS OUTSIDE RIGHT NOW**

She was a silver blur as she left her tent, she used a widened gait and transformed to her 25 year old form for the extra reach. She ended up jumping clean over some of her Hunters as she roared towards where Noir was asleep still curled around Lily and Thalia. She didn't care for reason or intelligence as she approached using her godly speed to drive her forward. She got to his sleeping form after what felt like hours even though mere seconds had past. She got to his still awakening form and ground to halt. Reaching out with a trembling hand towards him; Noir raised his head and let out a toothy yawn, then shook his head as if clearing the rest of sleep from his eyes. Then met hers, met the longing and desperation in them, and met that with confusion. Her heart couldn't take it, her mind reeled. She was sure that the voice was Noir, she was sure Noir was in her dreams, she was sure. However that surety was violently snuffed out as she looked into Noir's concerned and curious eyes. He wasn't the one in her dreams.

Ready to collapse the inexplicable happened, Noir's eyes shifted. They become warmth and Quasars but for a moment so brief she barely caught the message within them,

 ** _Not yet_**

He wasn't gone, whoever he was, he was still there, and she could still meet him. She sighed in relief and tried to quiet the longing in her soul for the presence of whoever he was. She still fell to her knees afterwards but was quickly comforted as Noir gently nuzzled her. Leaning into the wolf's massive head and scratching gently behind his ears, she reveled in the warmth. It wasn't the same as the Presence's but it was something. It eased her heart and soul knowing Noir was connected to the Presence. She exhaled slowly and opened her eyes to find Noir smiling a wolfish smile at her. She couldn't help but smile back.

She took some time to compose herself after the dream fiasco and asked Noir to wake Thalia and Lily for a bath and breakfast. The canine nodded his assent and began to unravel his mess of tails from around the sleeping girls. The sight that was revealed actually caused a few of the Hunters that had followed their panicked mistress towards the Wolf, to 'Awwwww' at the two girls. They were cuddled up together, with Lily facing Thalia curled up against her chest, while Thalia's left arm was acting as a pillow for the young girl and the other was draped across her hips lightly. Both were still breathing slow in the early light but quickly began to rouse. Both groaned at the rising sun that was beginning to shine down on the camp. Lily buried herself deeper in Thalia's embraced and mumbled something about hitting Apollo with a brick, while Thalia slowly began to open her eyes. She took in the sight of Lily curled up against her and smiled down as the girl before letting out an undoubtedly cute yawn. She used her free right hand to rub away the sleep in her eyes and rolled onto her back and propped herself up by her elbow. She froze up at the sight of a huge wolf grinning down at her, amusement sparkling in his eyes along with the eyes of many of her sisters. Artemis herself was smirking at her to which didn't help her situation.

She groaned as she heard a camera shutter snap, "You guys aren't gonna shut up about this are you?"

A collective 'nope' was heard and followed by grins. Unfortunately the teasing was short lived as Lily wrapped herself around Thalia's remaining arm and mumbled out,

"Don't be mean to big sis" and promptly went back to sleep. Every heart there melted at that statement, except one. Noir huffed and used a tail to detach Lily from Thalia who was almost reluctant to wake her. The tail then brought her up to Noir's face which held a mischievous grin. Lily barely had time to open her eyes and register where she was before an onslaught of dextrous tails were tickling her every which way. She was laughing and laughing, a sound which drew the rest of the Hunt to watch as the girl clutched her sides and attempted to swat away the versatile tails that were tormenting her.

The girls watched on, smiles adorning their faces, even the typically colder Hunters were chuckling, as finally Noir gave some reprieve and Lily managed to roll off his tail and sat on the ground trying to regain her breath. She sent a quick glare at Noir who met it with an innocent look, which made her pout and the Hunt laugh. He gently picked her up again and placed her on his back, turned and licked her pouting face which made her giggle. She still lightly popped him on the nose she caused him to shake his head repeatedly as if trying to get something of his face. He sneezed and snuffled and pawed at his muzzle and seemed to finally manage to soothe his offended snout. He mock glared at Lily who was full out laughing at him but cringed as her sides still hurt from the tickling he gave her.

Noir puffed triumphantly and stood up apparently headed for one of the tents. He must have been psychic or something cause not 3 steps later Atlanta poked her head out of the tent and called, "Breakfast is ready!" The Hunt was already gathered and began to walk with Noir and a fully awake and energetic 9 year old towards a warm meal they would no doubt enjoy. And if they didn't they could always have a chuckle at Thalia's expense.

-Hola yo soy Señor Line Break-

Artemis was quite glad for the comedy relief that was this morning as many of the Hunters didn't seem to bring up her rushing towards Noir this morning as if the world depended on it. She didn't feel like having to explain why she was fawning over an un-defined male presence she had seen in a dream. The very though caused her to flush slightly but she kept it under wraps. The feeling of euphoria had eventually subsided to a dull throb and she decided to let her Hunters take a break and head to Camp Half-Blood. There were complaints and groans, promises not to skewer any males (Well…as long as it wasn't lethal) and more groans still. The only person seemingly excited to go was Lily after Thalia explained about camp and Percy her cousin. Lily seemed genuinely enthusiastic to meet the so called hero that had saved Thalia and rescued Artemis from beneath the sky. Truthfully Artemis didn't know if it was because of the Presence she had met but she felt almost warm towards Percy. Seeing as he did help save her and seemed to be loyal to a fault. Now that she actually considered it, he was praise worthy at least for his actions. Ugh! Stupid freaking male Presences making her question everything she's ever believed.

She swore she saw Noir look back at her and smirk, but before she could confirm that he turned and trotted away. Artemis scowled at his retreating form.

"Why so serious Artemis?" Thalia chuckled at her reference, "I figured you would be happy with him wandering off."

This was true as wolf or not Noir was still male and the Hunt was about to have a bath. She simply shook her head, "He's a wolf Thals. We _should_ have to order him to leave. He's far more intelligent than his playful nature lets on. How much more I have no idea but one thing is for sure-"

"He's not an ordinary wolf, I get it already Milady" She said smirking.

Artemis turned to her with a sickly sweet smile, "Really now? Noir"

Thalia looked puzzled for a second before a very smug looking wolf was standing behind her. She didn't have time to even yelp as he picked her up pup style and dropped her into the river that was near their camp. She came to the surface spluttering indignantly, but before she could even proclaim her intents of vengeance Lily splashed in after her, giggling the whole way. Noir closed his eyes and slowly waded out into the deeper part of the river so only his snout and ears could be seen. If you looked you could make out his mass of tails trailing in the lazy current as he contentedly soaked in the cool water. Thalia simply threw her hands up in exasperation and asked for the soap, claiming the wolf had ruined her vengeance by jumping in of his own accord. A rumbling chuckle from Noir stated he'd heard her.

Artemis shook her head at a grumbling Thalia who was smiling good-naturedly while lathering up. It didn't take long before everyone was spotless including Lily. With a bit of help they had managed to sort out her tangled mane of hair and left back to go to camp. Once there the girls had offered to help dry Noir who simply shook himself trying to get the excess water off, with little success. He caved after much begging from Lily and the girls set to work. By the time they were done no one could contain their laughter as Noir's typically slick coat was standing straight out, making him look like an upset dust bunny. He eventually managed to lick everything back into place but not before whacking a still giggling Phoebe. Phoebe scowled and gave chase but this quickly devolved into death threat tag as Phoebe couldn't manage to grab the unbelievably agile wolf who flipped and bounced just out of reach of her. After spending 10 minutes trying to climb a tree Noir was perched in with no luck she finally gave up. Despite her frown you could easily see the amusement in her eyes as Noir scrunched up his face and stuck his tongue out at her. She reciprocated the gesture and spun off to finish packing for when they were to head to Camp Half-Blood.

-Loosen up your Line Break baby come undone!-

In a flash The Hunters were at the top of Half-Blood hill where Noir quickly bounded over to a rather surprised Peleus. He sniffed at the young dragon and then at the Fleece before sniffing at the dragon again. Peleus simply looked perplexed throughout the entire ordeal before Noir trotted back over to the Hunt seeming satisfied with the new thing he found. Peleus, to his credit, simply shook his head and went back to sleeping beneath the tree.

Lily tapped Noir's leg, and a tail swooped down and placed her on his back fluidly. During his drying the Hunters had managed to count ten of the dextrous tails, all of which acted as if conscious except when under Noir's direct command. Not bothering to waste any more time Artemis brought her hunting horn to her lips, only to be interrupted as Noir threw his head back and howled. The sound rippled throughout the valley low and enchanting, it sounded like what she imagined moonlight falling through trees would sound like if it made a sound. All heads in the valley turned towards the Hunt and the sight of their ten foot companion as they proceeded down to meet Chiron.

Chiron arrived promptly and bowed, "Milady we were not expecting you anytime soon, and to what do we owe the honor of your presence?"

"Chiron, new…creatures have awakened" she shot a look towards Noir who looked curiously at the centaur before him, "and I must travel to Olympus to talk with the council about what this could mean. I am leaving my Hunters here for their safety which I am sure you will guarantee"

Chiron shot a look towards Noir, and then to Lily who was enthusiastically waving at him from atop Noir's head, and then back to her. He nodded, "I presume they will be staying in your cabin then Milady?"

"Of course Chiron, I will get them settled before I take my leave. Thank you for the warm welcome as always."

Chiron nodded and turned to canter away but was blocked by Noir who she could've sworn was still standing behind her not a second ago. She turned to find Lily looking surprised to find she was standing on the ground beside Thalia. Noir simply observed the centaur curiously while the other did the same except cautiously. Noir did very much the same to Chiron as he did to Peleus and circled around him, sniffing at him curiously, He ended up in front of him once again and huffed in irritation as if wondering why this talking thing was two things at once. He cocked his head and whined at Artemis who was busy stifling a chuckle at the centaur's confused look.

"Noir, Chiron is a centaur, he is half man half horse from the waist down and is the trainer of heroes here. Nothing truthfully out of the ordinary"

Thalia snorted quite loudly at this statement and shook her head while Lily ran up and introduced herself to the ancient teacher, who smiled warmly at her. She was quickly scooped up by one of Noir's tails and replaced upon his back so she could talk to the centaur without straining her neck to look up. Chiron looked perplexed at this interaction and looked back at Artemis. The question "What?" was practically tattooed across his forehead. Artemis grinned and waved away his confusion. He simply sighed and accepted the situation and went back to answering Lily's questions about heroes, gods, and monsters.

After excusing himself for archery classes Chiron managed to get away from the excited and curious little girl and left the Hunters by Artemis's cabin with a quick bow to the goddess herself. After having the girls choose a bunks and having Thalia explain how the camp schedule worked to Lily, Artemis went to talk to Noir who was laying dutifully outside the cabin as he couldn't fit inside. She approached the wolf whose ears twitched at her footsteps. He opened a single platinum eye lazily and met her gaze. His look seemed to read off as, "Ya interrupting my rest lady, whaddaya want?" She smirked at his perceived sass and he grinned back. "I just need to borrow you for a bit and then you can go back to sleep. Mind coming with me to Olympus for a bit?" He closed his eye again and huffed in the affirmative. Slowly rising from his position on the ground and stretching into a downward dog (The puns are real) he stood up straight and opened his eyes. He nodded to her saying, "Alright let's get this over with" and she rolled her eyes at his attitude. She asked for a paw but instead she was hoisted onto his back by a tail and before she could flash them anywhere the world went dark. It was Nano-seconds until her vision readjusted but she realized they were in the throne room on Olympus!

She looked down at Noir who reached around and picked her up pup style and set her down. She glared and he grinned. She rolled her eyes at this wolf's sass and brought out her bow, she drew and arrow and shot it into the sky through the open roof in the throne room. It exploded outwards in a silver shockwave as she grew to her godly height and took a seat at her throne. Noir huffed and sent her a look that said, "Show off" and she smiled. Happy that the wolf seemed to be getting more vocal despite the lack of a voice being involved. One by one the Olympians flashed in. Many took notice of the still massive wolf lounging at the foot of Artemis's throne and shot her puzzled looks. She waved them off not wanting to explain more than once.

Those present so far; Apollo, Aphrodite, Hephaestus, Demeter, and Poseidon nodded. Soon enough all of the Olympians were present and with one more flash of flame Hestia appeared at her Hearth and nodded to those present. Artemis was still bitter about her losing her throne to that drunkard Dionysus but didn't get to scowl on it further as Noir's head shot up like a bullet. Most jumped at his sudden transition from sleeping to chasing squirrels in seconds flat. Much to everyone's surprise save her own he roared straight at Hestia who managed a surprised 'Eep!' before she was buried beneath the massive canine. The Olympians recovered quickly and began bringing out symbols of power ready to disintegrate the wolf but quickly froze when they saw Hestia's child form being nuzzled and cuddled by the massive beast. Most were dumbfounded as Hestia giggled at Noir's antics and took up happily petting him sending his tails into a dizzying frenzy. He smiled happily from his place by the hearth with Hestia energetically petting him and cooing at the adorable giant puppy.

Zeus finally cleared his throat and directed his attention to Artemis before any more goddesses could join the puppy petting session.

"Daughter, why have you called this council meeting?"

She met his gaze and the councils before taking the floor, "The reason is laying behind me being pampered like the spoiled pup he is." Noir growled but didn't bother looking her way.

Zeus looked sceptical like much of the council save for Athena who seemed to process the fact that the wolf had understood Artemis and actually responded without missing a beat.

"You called us here for an over grown puff ball?" This time Noir did raise his head and scowled at the king of the gods who quickly sat back as Noir fixed him with an intense stare. The council seemed to finally recognize the power those eyes held. The regality and obedience they commanded despite his seemingly goofy attitude prior. It wasn't the Presence she saw in her dream, but this was actually Noir himself sending a piercing gaze at the council. He slowly stood and gracefully trotted up beside Artemis and then grew. He went from 10 to 20 feet in a flash and then took a seat beside a now dumbstruck Artemis. His tails fanned out like a peacocks forming a mantle of sorts behind him. As if to make a point, the liquid platinum that made up his irises seemed to pour out of his eyes and onto his fur. Two thick lines of the colour flowed down from his eyes and then bent backwards obtusely forming shallow 'L's on his face. The colour seemed to infect parts of his fur, covering his underbelly completely and lightly tinting only the tips of his fur along his side and back.

His ten tails each were capped with platinum as well and each cap did not cut off in a straight horizontal line, but rather in a sharp zig-zag pattern like how one would draw crude mountain tops. The black of his fur went from lacking any colour to iridescent like oil on water sending a myriad of colors reflecting every which way off of the radiant platinum that now existed everywhere on his body.

 _"I'll have you know, I find that statement very offensive."_

All Hades promptly broke loose.


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: Hey guys Gryphon at you service here with another chapter coming your way! To the Guest that reviewed thanks for the kind words! Sorry for making you chuckle in a serious situation but I'm glad I got a laugh from ya! Hope you guys continue to enjoy and if anyone is wonderin there will be action coming up soon-ish! I don't wanna rush anything and make sure I get story line going properly. Otherwise you know the drill, have fun and try to review guys cause I don't mind putting in details but I need basis to go by. Like I said action should be coming up soon and if I get some more reviews I might even make it a bit gory for extra fun :)**

 **You know what's up, I don't own PJO or HOO ( I wish I did T-T). I only own my plot and OC's. NOW ENJOY!**

Chapter 6: Sarcastic Wolves & Mortified Immortals

Zeus jumped a solid 3 feet in the air and squeaked in a quite un-masculine manner. Normally this would have been a point of great amusement for the godly family however many of the other Olympians mimicked this reaction leaving no room for teasing. Artemis on the other hand was quite pissed.

"You can talk?!" She yelled. Noir gave her a wry smile.

" _No, of course not. What could have possibly made you think that?"_

His voice was just as liquid as his eyes and dripped with sarcasm. It echoed around the room more like it was coming from everywhere at once and held a light bass to it. It wasn't a booming voice but a welcomed vibrato. The hairs on her arm trembled in resonance to the pitch and she took in the flow of his voice. It was a playful warmth and trickled like water drops on crystals. Her rage was replaced with irritation and indignation, she cocked her hip and crossed her hands over her chest.

"And you didn't say anything before because?"

He scoffed, " _Wasn't fully conscious, and I'm still not. I can only maintain this state of functioning for a short period of time. Just cause I'm not always vocal doesn't make me an idiot"_

"Artemis what the hell is this beast?!" Zeus called in outrage, "It should not speak much less emanate such quiet power! I demand to know who or what you are mutt!"

Artemis flinched. 'Well that's torn it' she thought.

 _"_ _BEAST! MUTT!"_ Noir called out in unbridled rage and offence, " _Tell me oh wise king of Olympus, what makes you so much better than me? Surely not your loyalty, point of order your demi-god daughter within the Hunters, thank Chaos above she is kind soul unlike her father might I add. I know it cannot be in your humbleness, as you sit above everyone on this supposedly 'fair' council, do take note of my sarcasm. Please do forgive me if I fall over laughing should you claim benevolence as nigh smiting the one who has returned your bolt and saved both of your daughters, does not fit that bill. Not to mention Competence and Honor as was it not you who broke the Oath to not have any more children first out of your brothers; then not even stand for your punishment damning your daughter in the process? Even now you look down upon me as though the words I say are not true."_ Noir let out an annoyed huff. _"Is the youngest always a spoiled brat…yeesh. Almost causes the end of the wold over a stolen teddie."_

Noir let out a derisive snort. He shrunk back to ten feet, turned, and made to head towards the hearth.

 _"_ _Might as well enjoy some properly civilized company while I'm here instead of bothering to help this wind filled buffoon, sitting on his high horse acting like the universe owes him…"_

Noir's grumbling trailed off as he trotted back to the Hearth to lay down beside an astounded Hestia. The Olympians on the other hand seemed to find their bearings and Artemis, Apollo, Hermes, Poseidon, and Hephaestus of all people roared with laughter. Zeus on the other hand, had been turning progressively more red throughout Noir's tirade and finally snapped. Shooting to his feet he bellowed/spluttered.

"HO-HOW DARE YOU! I AM KING OF THE GODS AND I WILL NOT STAND FOR THIS DISRESPECT"

Noir tossed an amused look over his shoulder, _"I believe you were sitting for that boss man"_

More raucous laughter followed that statement and Zeus launched his Maser Bolt. Artemis quickly snapped out of her laughing fit with a look of horror.

"NOIR!" The bolt exploded and all they heard was a howl of pain.

Noir was staggering about smoking slightly, _"Oh you have bested me, truly you power and attributes are more than I could hand-"_ He flopped on his side and started laughing completely unharmed. He rolled around with his tails flying every which way. _"Oh by Chaos I'm sorry Artemis but I couldn't say it was a straight face!"_ He roared out more laughter as the Olympians looked on in surprise save Zeus who was still outraged.

 _"_ _I mean that freaking TICKLED! Like big bad Zeus rolling up with his electric toothpick all, 'Prepare for a terrible hair day!'"_ He continued laughing and rolling around, tears streaming down his wolfish face. He finally devolved into chuckles after a minute and found his legs slowly rising to his feet.

 _"_ _Artemis please tell me you got his face on camera, we can sell those photos for piles of drachma! Somebody see if you can imitate his face, I was too busy laughing, I missed it!"_

The gods simply looked on incredulously. Sure it hadn't been a fully charged blast but it would have still stumbled a titan, so why was this wolf unharmed and _laughing_ of all things? Artemis was worried at this point, the Masterbolt wasn't a joke but to Noir it was a weak punchline. She wasn't quite as apprehensive about him anymore but still that was more than enough to scare anyone with common sense.

Noir looked around puzzled, _"What no one got pictures? Ugh! Weak sauce guys! Anyway if Zeusy-poo is done with his hissy fit can we move on to busine…"_

Noir was interrupted by a charging Ares who swiped as his head.

 _"_ _Oh for fu…"_

He ducked beneath the swipe and took a step back. Then another as the horizontal follow up hit nothing but air. Ares shoulder charged forward hoping to catch the wolf off guard and get him to stumble. He connected with jaw rattling force…and stopped. Noir was looking down at him clearly unamused and unshaken.

 _"_ _Oh Ow, the pain. It's unbearable, someone please put me out of my misery, I can't go on"_ Noir's voice was entirely flat and he rolled his eyes throughout the entire spiel, undisturbed as Ares swung again. He didn't even bother dodging as his bronze claymore connected with his neck…and shattered. Noir caught the broken blade with a tail and tossed it into the hearth. The same tail patted Ares on the head _, "There there, sweetums. Go find a new toy while the adults talk"_

The smirk was evident on his face and in his voice as he walked past a nonplussed and fuming Ares. As such Ares whirled and charged hands outstretched to apparently strangle the sassy wolf. He got within a centimeter of his tails and caught air once more. He wildly swung his head around trying to find the wolf that had disappeared and reappeared 8 feet above Ares head rolling rapidly in a somersault before descending while still rolling. Ares looked up and was hammered into the ground by 10, evidently, indestructible tails. The blow sent him face first into the throne room floor cratering it while Noir landed lightly on the now unconscious Ares' back.

 _"_ _Annnnnnnnnd… He sticks the landing for the…wait…what's the word for 15 times in a row? Ugh, never mind the moments ruined. Now then can we move on beyond attempting to murder me? I do have news to share ya know."_

The gods looked on in shock at the wolf that had just survived a direct blow from the Masterbolt, and now laid the War God low in a single blow. Artemis could feel a headache developing to migraine levels. She simply sat back in her throne and rubbed her temples. "Noir if I knew you were going to end up being this much of a headache in this short of an amount of time, I would have turned you into a scarf."

He grinned cheekily at her _, "Love you too Moonbeam, just glad I made your day interesting."_ Artemis glared at him for the Moonbeam comment and sighed in defeat.

"I recommend we hear him out, I did bring him hear as he is not your typical wolf. I was going to bring up that I have no idea of his origin nor of precisely how much power he holds. I figured that it would be best to alert Uncle Poseidon, Uncle Hades, and Zeus to his presence as it may herald the rising of more like him."

After Noir's short but astounding display of ability that revealed absolutely no perceived effort on his part, the Olympians were grim at the prospect of possibly facing more like him.

 _"_ _She is entirely right. Hence why I said I cannot be conscious for too long. It may cause a ripple effect and my brethren could possibly awake as well. They won't be able to visit the surface for a while regardless but it would still be best if they stay asleep. Their power alone is enough to warp reality and they do not have the same restraint that I do, hence warning you now of this."_

All eyes were on him as his voice was pure seriousness and all form of jest was thrown from his posture. His eyes were cold and hard holding none of their typical warmth and amusement. These were the eyes of a battle hardened king, one who stood in front of his soldiers as he led them to battle. Aeons of decimation briefly flickered in his eyes.

 _"_ _Heed Artemis's warning, war is upon you and you cannot win without assistance and I am risking a great deal just by being here right now speaking with you. Do not take this encounter lightly and I would recommend you leave my host alone as he will still have access to a portion of my power and will likely help in my place. I can still answer a few more questions but I will have to reduce my presence further before anything can latch onto my temporary consciousness and use it to their advantage."_

That being said his fur returned to its state of unadulterated black save for the bands beneath his eyes, and then burst into platinum flames. The heat washed over them like a wall. It was actually quite welcomed after the battle fiasco and cold attitudes being previously displayed. Once they died down and were absorbed back into Noir. She couldn't believe her eyes.

He was a pup! Tiny and slightly puffier and plushier looking, but it was Noir non-the-less. He was a meager foot long and a ¾ foot tall. He nodded in approval at his reduced stature and vanished. Everyone looked for him but that was interrupted by a squeal from Aphrodite as they all turned towards her. Noir was happily laying on the Love goddess's head with his tails fanned out like a crown on her head.

 _"_ _Hmmmm… I like this one, welcoming and warm souled. Full of love. I think I'll keep her"_ He gave Aphrodite a lick and she smiled radiantly and squealed once again. Typically Artemis didn't like Aphrodite but he was still adorable in that form and it was an easy way to break the tension. Noir was caring and seemed to do best caring for others in need, which caused her to question his close presence to Aphrodite but that could wait. He looked about and took in the rest of the Olympians,

 _"_ _You should make use of the time I have left, ask and you shall receive but within reason. I am far outside the Ancient Laws and plans of the Fates but my answering of such questions could very well cause you to doom yourselves by trying to prevent certain outcomes that may come to light. Proceed with caution Olympians and do not let this form fool you nor my whimsical attitude. The warm persona is only a single face that can be seen."_

Athena looked towards a still anxious and annoyed Zeus. He nodded and let her take the lead, deciding they could do without any more embarrassment and conflict. They had no idea what the wolf was capable of and had no need to find out when he was offering aid. Athena leaned forward directing her attention to the tiny wolf perched above Aphrodite's forehead.

"Do we truly need the demi-gods' help?"

 _"_ _Yes. With what is in store for you to fight, you will need them to defend Olympus whilst you are…indisposed per se. For that battle in particular focus on what is most important Olympians."_

He shot a pointed look at Poseidon who did not seem to notice and another at a shadow just behind Apollo's throne. It seemed to darken as if recognizing the message.

Athena took in this into careful consideration, "I don't suppose you could name the threat could you?"

 _"_ _That would be quite disadvantageous in the long run Child of Wisdom, we do not need pre-emptive panic or dread. You will need to think on your feet, but you should be fine."_

She nodded solemnly, took the complement, and continued, "Has Kronos truly risen?" the room darkened slightly and the flames of the braziers fluttered in an invisible wind. The Olympians waited with baited breath as Noir met her gaze gravely.

 _"_ _Yes, but do not despair he is not fully risen. The only way for that to happen is if you Olympians keep your children out of the war and attempt to deal with this matter yourselves. Know that the demi-gods are essential to your survival. Now I only have enough time to answer one last question, make it count Child of Wisdom"_

Asking the question that had been plaguing the Olympians and mainly Artemis.

"Who, if not, what are you?"

Noir didn't respond immediately. He looked thoughtful and finally let out a dry laugh that seemed a little more dark than Artemis was used to.

 _"_ _Truthfully child? I have no clue. I am but a proxy for something greater. The wolf, Noir as you call him, is a vessel for me as I am a vessel for something,_ someone _, more. All I can say indefinitely is that I am. I have been conscious for, lived for, and existed for a period of time I cannot fully grasp with surety. The closest thing I can relate to is a force that even I am unaware of. I am without name but I suppose I am also Noir in a way. As for who I am a proxy for…I cannot say, for even I have never met him. Only 2 have, and one of them sits beside me. I envy you Artemis for having contact with him but I also dread that. If he has truly made contact, and with you specifically, then change will come. Good or bad cannot be determined quite yet and I have no idea what role you will play that he contacted you Artemis but I can guarantee that his arrival will be determined by you or someone near you. As it were I have already said too much. Farewell for now Olympians for this will not be the last time we meet. I will have more time to reveal a history that will prepare you for the worst. And should_ He _truly awaken… even Chaos could not help you with what could follow."_

Noir's eyes closed and the platinum bands beneath his eyes flaked off and vaporized in a shimmering trail. When they reopened the ancient intelligence was gone, and Noir looked down at Aphrodite wagging his tails happily. He jumped off and expanded to regular wolf size and curled up in her lap coaxing her to pet him. Her expression after his announcement was grim but she still obliged smiling softly as he rumbled appreciatively.

Zeus still scowled at the wolf but looked slightly apprehensive of the canine lazily lounging in the Love Goddess's lap. He looked towards Artemis a troubled expression on his face. "What did he mean you met _him_? Is there someone more, beyond him, more powerful?"

Artemis sighed, tiredness etched into every line of her face. "Call Morpheus, what I saw would take far too long to explain much less who or what I met. I can give you the dialogue but that was rather short and more meaning was held within what I saw there. Morpheus can show my dream where I met the Presence as I refer to him."

The Artemis met their gazes individually before coming back to Zeus. He nodded to Hermes who flashed out to find the god of dreams. She looked over at Noir who was now on his back having his belly rubbed and setting his leg running. Hermes popped flashed back in with Morpheus in tow. He looked bored but quizzical as to why the _Olympians_ would need the presence of a _minor_ god at their council meeting. Still he bowed respectfully to the Olympians, "What is it that you need Milords and Ladies?"

Zeus acknowledged the bow and responded, "We seek to revisit one of Artemis's dream where a...presence of great importance visited her. We need you to allow us into the dreamscape."

Morpheus nodded 'As if I had a choice either way'. Instead of voicing this he simply said, "Of course, join hands and Artemis I need you directly in front of me so I can have proper contact." She scowled at the thought of contact with a male but was mollified as Morpheus continued, "I only need brief contact Milady and Hestia will need to stay here and guard our bodies as it will take significant concentration from myself and you all to enter the dream. I will open the gateway, Artemis you need to pull us to the dreamscape, and the rest will have to focus on keeping up with Artemis's mind without dragging her down. One way or another we all end up on the floor" He chuckled lightly at her slightly less severe frown, "I swear upon the Styx."

Thunder sealed the oath and she nodded and stepped off her throne towards him. Noir whined at being evicted from Aphrodite's lap but trotted over to Hestia and laid his head in her lap. Aphrodite shot him an apologetic look and took her hand and Athena's. Demeter took her left and Hera's right and they continued around until they completed the circle. Once it was done she nodded to Morpheus who reciprocated the gesture and raised grey glowing hands. They connected with her temples and the throne room fell away.

The gods were awestruck at the sight that laid before them. They stood together where Artemis had first met the Presence minus the desired individual.

 **"** **I see you have returned young one."**

The voice she heard was not the same as the presence but unique in its own right. She understood it perfectly but the words were not spoken in Ancient Greek or in English or in any other language she had ever heard. It was if every pitch and tone were woven together and said in every language at once. It was not beautiful nor was it appalling, it simply was. Words needed to be said and so they were, no excess meaning put into them, and no evident emotion. It just _was._ She opened her eyes and turned while the rest of the gods followed her line of sight.

Zeus for the second time that day shrieked in fear. Most of the others backed up rapidly while Artemis just smiled, for in front of her was Cosmos looking quite amused. "You sound like you're disappointed" she replied with a smirk. The massive celestial snake, for his part, reared up and hissed out a hearty laugh. This time around Artemis had the chance to actually look at him. When she had sat on him it must have been the absolute end of his massive tail as he was 120 feet long. His huge spade shaped head towering over her and the rest of the trembling Olympians as heat and light flowed off of his scales. His body was no different than most snakes but his scales were what made him a true sight to see. They did not simply overlap, rather they were raised along his back and sides. There were a set of more sharply raised scales that got slowly longer as they moved up his head, they formed a set of curved horns as they came up over his eye ridges. They seemed to accomplish the same at the end of the tail except these scales were entirely flat and undulated as they roses and fell causing a sound like heavy water drops on metal. Each scale was outlined in void and radiated the heat of a star, which was expected as the rest of the scale roiled like the surface of the sun. He noticed everyone watching him and apparently needed to show off. Two massive wings stretched lazily out from his back achieving a full span of 150 feet. They were grand and what you would typically get in your average flesh and feather wings but they could still make your jaw drop. They feathers were the opposite of the scales, each framed with the roiling surface of a neutron star but containing a void of space speckled with stars creating a scene none of the gods could take standing. Explaining why Poseidon was currently sitting on his ass attempting to catch flies. Athena walked over, and closed his mouth with an audible click which brought everyone back to reality. Or surreality, cause this was a dream right? Ugh…dealing with higher powers is a pain. (She mentally winced at that though)

 **"** **Actually it is quite a surprise to see you again so soon, you can imagine I don't get too many visitors. However it seems it is not me you are here to see is it?"**

She shook her head, "Honestly I was expecting to see the both of you again, I'm afraid I wasn't very talkative the last time"

 **"** **You were gaping like a fish out of water"** he deadpanned

Artemis huffed, "Well if you were me in this situation what would you have done? Asked for a seat and a cup of tea?"

 **"** **Yes"**

"Exact- wait what?"

 **"** **I do, actually, brew a choice cup of tea you know. I would even break out the specialty herbs since I haven't had this many guests in Aeons. If you're going to make a big pot of tea might as well make it a great one while you're at it."**

Artemis was about to question how a giant celestial snake with no arms managed to make tea when she was interrupted by her father squeaking, I mean shrieking, I mean bursting into the middle of their conversation.

"WHAT IN CHAOS NAME IS GOING ON HERE, AND WHY ARE YOU HAVING A CASUAL CONVERSATION WITH A GIANT, WINGED, SIX EYED, GALAXY SNAKE?!"

He panted slightly after the small rant and realized he had made a severe miscalculation as said giant, winged, six eyed, galaxy snake looked right at him. Zeus seemed to regret his outburst immediately and interposed Ares between him and Cosmos. In lay man's terms, he hid behind him. Were it not for the fact that Cosmos was who he was this would have had her rolling around laughing like a maniac but considering this is the second time her family was meeting with ridiculously powerful animals she should probably cut them some slack. She realized he had a point though, typically it would just be a replay of her dream and conversation and possibly her thoughts and emotions (Thank gods that wasn't the case or she would be mortified) but instead here they were, deviating from the set course.

"He does have a point, this didn't happen in the dream Cosmos. I was simply supposed to be approached by you and then meet the Presence."

 **"** **The Presence? I suppose that's a fitting title in a way…Regardless of that he did say it himself young one. It is not quite time yet and it appears his proxy has already explained what needs to be known without giving away too much. He can be quite talkative at times. As you can see even though it should have been a replay of your dream from your perspective but instead a different event has transpired. There are things you simply cannot know and things that simply cannot be revealed** ** _yet_** **. Be patient Olympians many things must occur before he can fully awake but I assure you it will happen. For now return to your duties and Artemis to your Hunt. There is still much to be done before this day comes to an end."**

His wings flared out again and reality began to dissipate. Artemis bowed and turned to the Olympians only to spin back when Cosmos called her.

 **"** **Oh, and Artemis"** He winked, **"See you soon"**

Everything went white.


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: Hey guys, CasualGryphon back again with more content for ya! Thanks for all the views so far and glad to see people are having fun! Just gonna keep it short and say enjoy the chapter.**

 **Disclaimer: You know the drill, Ricky boy is the owner of PJO and HOO, I only own my plot and OC's. Other than that REMEBER TO REVIEW!**

Chapter 7: Capture the Puppy

Artemis awoke to find herself lying side long on top of something incredibly soft, softer than the bed in her temple and softer than the gentlest wind. So she was no surprised to find herself, and the other Olympians plus Morpheus, laying on Noir's tails as he had super-sized himself to accommodate the entire council. Despite being made fun of even Zeus seemed appreciative of the soft surface to lay on. Athena looked quite pleased along with Poseidon and the rest simply rolled off quickly. Aphrodite seemed quite content snuggling into the impromptu mattress and happily wrapped herself around one of the many tails. Noir seemed happy to indulge her and lightly lifted her onto his flank and curled up around her. Artemis was curious as to why Noir would seem happy around the harlot (Though typically she would use less savory words) but decided against questioning it and returned to her throne along with the rest of the Olympians save the Love Goddess, who was enthusiastically scratching Noir's head. Despite being the host of an incredibly powerful proxy that makes the entire council look like children waving around cardboard weapons, he was still just a giant ball of fluff and immaturity most of the time. Regardless of how many disagreements she had with her, Aphrodite did radiate beauty and happiness at the moment, the purity of her smile and actions showed a better side of her that Artemis wished she would display more often.

She truly looked like the Goddess of Love at the moment. Her features alight with a mischievous grin as she scratched everywhere she possibly could, sending Noir's tails into a frenzy and one leg running. She giggled at their antics (though she would deny it if anyone asked) and watched on a little bit longer as Noir let out a rumble of appreciation that shook the room slightly. The rest of the meeting was very bland as Zeus ranted about how the might of the Olympians has garnered them powerful allies and as such ensured their rule and other egotistical blather. Even Noir held an incredulous look as her father continued and eventually just rolled his eyes with a huff and went back to being petted. Somehow he managed to get Hestia to join, now she was handling his head while Aphrodite rubbed his belly happily ignoring the spiel. It finally came to a close and Zeus flashed out in a bolt of lightning with Hera, and with that the others slowly followed. Except Ares who was still lying face down, passed out in his crater.

It took quite a bit of prying to finally get Aphrodite to release her hold on Noir, who simply gave the pouting goddess a lick, and vanished back to camp presumably. Artemis hugged Hestia quickly and flashed back to camp in time to hear a screech. She jogged down to the lake where one of the campers, who had been canoeing, apparently toppled into the water after Noir blinked into existence right in front of them. She stifled a chuckle as the camper was hoisted out of the lake by Noir, pup style of course, spluttering and whipping water every which way. He happily trotted over to her across the surface of the lake causing the jaws of those watching to drop. He happily plopped the camper down in front of her and sat behind them looking quite pleased with himself, tails gently swaying back and forth behind him. The camper finally got her hair out of her face, looked up at Artemis, and paled before dropping into a bow and quickly shooting off in the direction of the cabins.

Noir looked after the fleeing camper confusedly as if wondering why the girl was not happily chatting with her.

"Not all girls join the Hunt I'm afraid. They choose to spend their time amongst _men_ for whatever reason."

Noir looked rather offended at the way she said men, "Noir you're a wolf, you don't count."

That said he looked quite smug and quickly swept her up onto his back before bounding off with her in the direction, she presumed, her Hunters were in.

-A wild Line Break appeared!-

As Noir finally found the Hunter's it appeared that Thalia, Phoebe, Atlanta, and Lily were in the middle of a heated debate.

"Not all males are horrible really. I mean Chiron runs this entire camp and has been raising and watching over heroes as if they were his own children for millennia." Thalia said.

"Plus Noir is a boy and every one of you guys seems to like him." Lily threw in

Noir shot Artemis a pointed look and she simply rolled her eyes.

"Really girls, Noir is a wolf and doesn't exactly fall under the category of 'typical' by any standard even if he is a male wolf." Artemis said.

Phoebe huffed, "Sure Noir doesn't count that much is obvious, but I bet there isn't a single _boy_ in this camp worthy of my attention."

"Is that a challenge?" Lily shot back with a sly smile

Phoebe narrowed her eyes, "Make it interesting, I bet 40 drachma there isn't a single boy at this camp worthy of _Lady Artemis's_ affection."

Lily's smile turned smug, "Noir" she said simply. Suddenly Artemis was beside Thalia and Noir was looking intently into her eyes. She was still skeptical that there would be a male that would be respectable, kind, selfless, loving, respectful, caring, supportive, not overly protective but willing to defend a girl, alive on this planet much less in this camp. Noir, however, seemed to read on all of that and briefly raised his muzzle skywards to sniff around. He switched and went nose to the ground, his ears perked up, he turned towards the cabins, and took off in a black blur. He must've wanted to show off because he quickly broke the sound barrier for no apparent reason. The boom was deafening and elicited shrieks of fear as well as yells of "awesome" from surrounding campers.

It wasn't long before Noir was trotting back proudly with a pouting camper between his teeth and a laughing one on his back. The one on his back was obviously female and killing herself at the moment as her princess blonde curls flew every which way, while the one between Noir's teeth, had his fairly muscular (she grudgingly admitted) and tan arms crossed as he was carried 4 feet above the ground by the scruff of his shirt. Noir, non-too-gently, dropped the male on his rear eliciting an "oomph!" and more laughter from the female. That was short lived as he sat quickly sending her off balance and tumbling down his back causing the male to chuckle. He got up and dusted himself off before gently helping the girl up. Noir simply grinned at them and then turned back to Artemis with his chest puffed proudly out.

"So Lightning bug, any particular reason you had Wile 'E Coyote over here kidnap me?"

Thalia for her part was barely stifling her laughter at her friend, "I'll leave that to Artemis to explain to you Fish for Brains"

Oh joy.

-Line Break-

Artemis would be lying if she said she didn't find Perseus paling and bowing to her so fast he almost toppled funny. Annabeth followed suit but more gracefully as she also watched her friend splutter out an apology for no apparent reason

"Artemis, I mean Lady Artemis I am sorry I had no idea this was your wolf, and I am so sorry about not bowing I hadn't noticed you- I mean I should have and I'm sorry I probably should have paid more attention-"

By this time Thalia, Annabeth, and Lily were losing it. Even Noir was letting out a wolfish chuckle at Percy's flustered response and confusion as to what everyone was laughing at.

"Dear gods Percy, never change!" Thalia roared and then devolved into more raucous laughter. He scowled but then turned to Artemis with a confused expression, "Milady, if I may, but why was I brought before you. A simple summon would have otherwise sufficed though I'd be lying if I said supersonic wolf transport was anything but amazing if not unusual"

Artemis actually shot a glare at Phoebe for this awkward situation, who at least had the mind to look sheepishly at her Mistress. For her part Artemis turned back to the demi-god with a less frosty expression and let loose an irritated sigh, "One of my Hunters (Phoebe received another pointed look) made a bet that there wasn't a decent enough male at this camp that would be…worthy of my _attention_."

Percy was thoroughly confused whilst Annabeth looked incredulous. He knew he was being complemented but there was something in the way the Goddess had said "attention", almost disdainfully and with disgust.

"Erm, thanks for the compliment? I suppose? But what do you mean by attention?"

Artemis actually blushed slightly which worried him severely but decided against commenting on it. "The conditions for the male was rather specific Perseus (He cringed) it was not simply a _decent_ male it was a male that would be…acceptable by my terms for, what you would call a…boyfriend"

The last bit was said so quietly he really strained to hear it and as such it processed slow. Artemis was refusing to meet his eyes, which was just as well as she was still in her 25 year old form and no force on Olympus would be able to get him to deny her beauty but still left him dumbstruck and turning cherry red at the moment. He looked at the wolf who sent him a rather fox like grin, then to Annabeth who had her arms crossed about her chest glaring intensely at him, and then to Thalia who was full out rolling on the floor laughing whilst the rest of the hunters were astounded that the wolf had brought such a young boy to their Mistress.

Obviously they didn't know he was the vessel of a proxy of a existence so powerful that his very being warps reality but then again no one else really knew about that either. Said Being, was watching these events unfold with eyes of mirth as he observed with his friend. Him and Cosmos exchanged a glance and smiled before going back to watching the young ones chat.

Percy, on the other hand, was still trying to find his voice and say _something_ that would make this less awkward but only succeeded in gaping like a fish urging his Huntress friend to more laughter. Thankfully he was saved by the conch horn signaling dinner and he took full advantage. He stiffly bowed to Artemis and took off like an Olympic sprinter towards the pavilion. Noir seemed to take this as a challenge and took off after the fleeing demigod as if he were a mobile chew toy. Hopefully that wouldn't be the case but Artemis wouldn't be so sure about that especially when it comes to their supersized puppy.

The girls were left grumbling curses about sons of the sea when the tension was finally shattered by Lily.

She held her hand palm up and out to Phoebe, "Pay up"

Thalia fell to the ground, laughing uproariously, once more

-Wub-Wub-Wub-Wub Drop the Line Break! Wub-Wub-Wub-Wub- Artemis almost felt sorry for poor Perseus, almost. Even though it wasn't his fault Noir dragged him over, it was still embarrassing hence why the Hunters were supposedly going fishing both during and after this particular capture the flag game. Lily actually seemed disappointed in her sisters as she sat perched upon Noir's back.

"I don't know what they're on about Noir. He seemed really nice and I guess he was kinda cute with the wind swept, tousled hair and sea green eyes. The tan looked pretty good on him too…"

" _Pffffftttt! I think you're still too young to be worried about boys kiddo. Percy will be fine, I'm sure of it. I doubt Thalia would let her cousin get too hurt right?"_

They both glanced over to where Thalia was cackling manically as she shredded dummies with her spear, or sent them flying with her shield only to be shot out of the air by multiple arrows from the rest of the hunt. The poor dummy fell to the ground looking like a porcupine with Percy's picture on the head.

 _"_ _I retract my previous statement…"_ Lily chuckled at the wolf's deadpan and went back to lounging on him, soaking up sun comfortably from her perch. She was quite content with this right now, her new sisters laughing happily and Noir finally being more sociable and actually speaking. Next thing you know he might just start talking to the Hunters.

"Noir! We need to get you briefed on what part you'll be playing during capture the flag."

Both wolf and child looked skeptically at the Hunt's lieutenant, "You convinced Chiron to let him play?"

"You betcha Lil. As long as he doesn't eat anyone we're fine. Plus Chiron doesn't know he can go supersonic cause he was asleep or something. Plus Noir is a technical member of the Hunt after all."

" _Does this mean I get a bunch or wicked silver stuff or something?"_ Lily looked back at him. "I think it means you get fed". Noir huffed and turned away while Thalia was bemused. "He can talk to you?"

Lily met her eyes, "Only sometimes, he's pretty quiet the greater portion of the time, which is good since he doesn't snore when we sleep together." Noir shot her an offended look, to which she popped him on the nose eliciting sniffling and snuffling. Both she and Thalia shared a laugh before they were both thumped on the head by an irate looking Noir. They grumbled before they were called over to a nearby clearing just before the forest they would hold the game in.

"As is tradition whenever the Hunters and Lady Artemis visit we will be holding a capture the flag match after dinner. Hunters versus campers of course with the exception of the Hunt's traveling companion Noir who will be joining the Hunter's team."

The campers stared incredulously at Chiron and then at the massive wolf that was looking as innocent as possible despite a tiny blonde Lily, grinning unnervingly at the campers, on his back. This was further reinforced by the greater portion of the Hunt sharing this expression whilst the others suppressed their laughter. The campers were not pleased to say the least.

Chiron didn't even spare them a glance as he eyed Noir's "innocent" face. "That being said, on to your activities before dinner campers. Hunters, please refrain from mauling any males."

With that he spun around and galloped of to the Big House, ignoring the groans from the Hunters. While still swearing vengeance against fairly good looking, green eyed, demigods the Hunters made their way off to the archery range to practice before the game.

-Hey this is Time Skip, Line Breaks little cousin.-

The campers and Hunters were all grouped together standing on opposite sides of the river that served as the boundary for the area. The Hunters were itching to go having already formulated a plan while the campers stood shuffling about due to their collective ADHD.

"Campers, Hunters you know the rules. No maiming, mauling, or death. First to cross the boundary with the opposing flag wins. Flags must be clearly displayed otherwise placement is irrelevant. Assemble at your flags and wait for the signal to start." With Chiron's bit said and an acknowledging grunt from Dionysus, the groups separated and headed off to their respective flags. The Hunter's flag was in a clearing surrounded by trees allowing for an easy line of sight not matter where you stood. The camper's flag was presumably placed by Zeus's fist on the other side of the field. Lily was riding with Noir as per usual whilst the rest would spread out and take down as many campers as possible. True they weren't really leaving anyone on the defensive but with Noir running around at Lily's command they were sure to be alright. Lily had already said she had a plan to set in motion and Thalia had given her free reign.

Artemis was curious about what the blonde, emerald eyed demi-goddess had in store. Lily was busily whispering to an attentive Noir. When she finished, he nodded and they shared an evil grin. Artemis would've been worried had she been on the camper's side. As it was however, she felt that she was in for a treat. The wolf's possible power made her slightly uneasy but she would be lying is she said she wasn't curious. Artemis sat back to watch the show and joined everyone in waiting for the conch horn to signal the start of the match.

Noir and Lily were positioned just ahead of the flag with ten tails whipping wildly in anticipation. He was swapping from foot to foot, keeping ready to run. Muscles were coiling just beneath his skin and fur and Lily knew why. They were planning to quick blitz the flag and make it an easy win for the Hunters, she was still inexperienced but Noir's input really gave her perspective.

" _I would suggest you hang on tight kiddo, I'm in need of a proper run right now and that little jog to grab Poseidon's son wasn't even a warm up._ "

"As long as I don't end up needing wings to get down safely I'm ready for anything." She replied straight faced. He looked back at her, " _C'mon short stack, no need to be so serious. This is a games after all_."

She exhaled slowly, "I suppose you're right" she frowned, "But we still need to be serious about this. Thalia gave me the go ahead and I don't want to disappoint."

 _"_ _You're over thinking this sweetie. It's real easy we go in, get the flag, and get back. You're worrying for nothing, besides I'm the one doing all the work so why are you worrying at all? I'm not exactly one to disappoint."_

She huffed and crossed her arms over her chest, "Don't you get sassy with me fuzz ball."

 _"_ _Why I would never your highness!"_ in a burst of platinum flames a small circlet rested on her brow glinting in the fading sun. A sapphire was set at the front of her forehead while the rest of it fanned out into silver leaves around her head. At the tip of each leaf a small emerald was set as well. It resulted in gorgeous waves of platinum and vibrant green. It was glorious and annoyed the living daylights out of her as she could feel the sarcasm radiating off of him.

"I would be entirely flattered were it not that I knew you were being sarcastic."

 _"_ _You wound me with such offensive implications my queen."_ He chuckled at her out, and faced back forwards at the gaping Hunters who were watching the exchange with interest and awe.

"Alright, I've had it. Noir, you're gonna start talking after this game or so help me we're having wolf jerky for our first meal when we get out of this camp." Thalia stalked away still grumbling, "Bloody wolves and their ridiculous jewelry powers, making my crown look plain…"

Noir cackled madly at her reaction and at the astounded/annoyed faces of the Hunt. Artemis who had been looking on in amusement was now dumbstruck with her mouth agape. She quickly wiped the expression off her face as Chiron turned to her, eyes wide, and a single eye brow raised.

"I'll explain later…" She ground out to the perturbed centaur, who simply sighed and nodded before raising the conch to his lips and blowing.

Noir crouched, Lily gripped, and the ground exploded. The had all quickly scattered at the horn so none were in the blast radius as Noir put all his pent up energy into unnatural bounds. He didn't bother sticking to the ground for long and jumped to the very tips of the tree tops. Using unnerving agility to balance on pin-prick peaks, and rocket across the forest. Noir bounds ate up land quickly and lazily. Anyone could see he was still holding back. As they neared the boundary line, Noir slowed to maintain stealth. True they were high up and with the encroaching darkness from the falling sun it played well with his pitch black but semi reflective fur. He came to a stop balancing at the tops of the trees towards the edge of the small clearing. After a small squad of Ares campers passed beneath, he crouched and sprung lazily across the 40 foot clearing. He came to a light stop in the next set of trees before taking off once again at a lazy pace.

They neared Zeus's fist quickly enough. " _Why is it called a fist? It looks more like a pile of-"_

"Shhhhhhhh! They'll hear you!"

 _"_ _Lily I'm telepathic, how in the world are they supposed to hear me?"_

She blushed and thumped him lightly on the head. "Shut up and get us in position. Ya see anyone by the way?"

 _"_ _One person. Invisible, I think it's the blonde that was with Fish for Brains as Thalia calls him. Though I must say he has good taste in women."_

"That's your blonde fetish talking, and aren't you a wolf?"

 _"_ _Hey I can look! Besides aren't you too young to know about fetishes?"_

"Where do you think I get this from? I mean, who do I spend most of my time with?"

 _"…_ _Touché. Regardless there are some more campers nearby in the trees, they haven't noticed us yet and I'll be keeping it that way until the right time. Ya ready?"_

"Yup, dump and run okay?"

 _"_ _Roger roger."_

She smirked at the reference and hung on tight as Noir launched them up into the night air. They quickly reached a peak height of 30 feet above the treeline when Noir flipped nose down and tucked in his limbs. Lily flattened herself against his back as he used his tails to start a slow spiral. Not enough to make her sick but enough make her stomach tingle. Soon they were roaring downwards. When they were 10 feet from the ground Noir flipped and slammed his tails downwards at the flag. His tails didn't touch the ground but the momentum they had built up was transferred to them and onwards to the wall of wind that was built during the flip.

The shockwave smashed into the boulder pile and pushed down eliciting a surprised yelp from who Lily presumed was the invisible girl. A hat was suddenly flying through the air along with an astounded blonde. The other campers in the trees quickly closed the distance while Lily used the displaced dirt as cover and slipped down one of Noir's many tails. She hit the ground and bee lined for the flag while Noir had the campers distracted. The campers finished helping Annabeth up and raised bows towards the top of Zeus's Fist waiting for their mystery opponent. When they saw the massive wolf standing regally upon the hill all Annabeth managed was a quiet, "Well shit…"

Nothing more was able to be said as Noir covered the distance in seconds flat while Lily used the distraction to take off in the opposing direction with the flag. The plan was for her to circle around where Noir would pick her up, and they would take off back to the other side. Noir wasted no time with the distraction. He whipped his tails as he spun and managed a smaller wall of air spinning the fired arrows away and stumbling the opposing campers. He used the quick break to move behind them. He pulled his typical disappearing act and left the campers spinning looking for the massive wolf. They didn't have time to fight back as plush tails wrapped around them pinning arms to sides and lifting them up. They had time to register how comfortable they were in the small cocoon, and then found themselves 15 yards up in the air.

Annabeth screamed and Noir smirked before launching off of _thin air_ and rushing towards the ground. Lily watched in amusement as he launched them in the opposite direction of herself. Thankfully the worst part of the ride was the drop. They tumbled softly to the opposite side of the clearing while Noir stood once again upon the top of Zeus's Fist. He smirked once more and twisted pulling his tails across the line of sight. Once the tips were clear he was simply gone. One of those very tails quickly bounced Lily up onto the wolf's back.

"Show off…" she muttered fondly

He chuckled and took off once again through the trees and then up onto them.

Once they bounded down onto the ground at the very edge of the clearing. They very slowly approached the edge of the river that served as the boundary since Noir was deciding to have a victory trot.

"What are you doing? We haven't won yet!" Lily hissed

" _Simmer down home slice, they can't touch us-"_ was as far as he got before the Ares patrol squad burst out of the bushes yelling bloody murder.

"You were saying?"

 _"_ _I'm getting real tired of people interrupting me…"_

 **A/N: Hey. Hey person. PSSSSTTTTTT!**

 **Reader: Ummmmm...Yeah?**

 **Gryphon: Don't forget to leave a review =3**

 **Reader: How'd you pronounce that?**

 **Gryphon: Oh! Like this. =3**


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: Hey guys sorry for holding out on you though it doesn't feel like it's been that long XD. Anyway here comes another double chapter update since these weren't as long as the others. Oh well XD. Also to Matt I think Thalia would squish a Percy dummy but not Percy himself since the greater portion of their relationship involve Thalia whacking Percy and a good humored tousle. Spearing Percy? It'd never happen. HIs dummy? Fair game =) Anyway enjoy the chapters and have fun! Don't forget to review!**

 **Disclaimer: Is my name Rick Riordan? No? Kay I don't own PJO or HOO. I own OC's and plot. kay thank.**

Chapter 8: Labyrinth Ahoy!

Noir was still grumbling about beefy kids interrupting his important speeches whilst dodging around and bouncing over the campers. They were clearly annoyed as they kept swinging but hitting nothing. Clarisse was being smart and sitting back looking for an opening that she simply wasn't getting. Those tails were unnervingly responsive and agile, not to look down on the wolf himself who was obviously toying with the siblings; clearing heads by centimeters and the odd time sending them crashing into each other. Were it not her siblings Clarisse would've been laughing her head off, but considering they were she was simply annoyed. She couldn't even blame them as the canine seemed to be reading their moves ahead of time using one tail to hang onto the small girl on his back who had their flag.

"Noir!" Thalia called across the clearing signaling that the Hunter's had started breaking through their defensive lines, which truthfully was no surprise. That apparently made the situation as the wolf used her siblings' heads as an impromptu springboards, landing them all in a heap as the bloody dog back flipped over them. He landed right at the edge of the river and with head held high, walked right across the surface and onto the other side. The horn blew signaling the victory of the Hunt.

The Hunters cheered and campers groaned. Chiron galloped up to the area where they all gathered looking quite annoyed. He eyed Noir, sighed, and then turned back to the assembled mix and mash of demi-gods and Huntresses.

"Well played and this marks the Hunter's 86th victory in a row. Though the next time I will be either restraining and/or banning any apparent super wolves either side decides to bring in." he said with a pointed look to a smug looking wolf who was actually being petted by both campers and Hunters alike. Even Percy seemed to have gotten over his previous ire and was complementing Lily and Noir's teamwork as one of the Apollo campers recounted their encounter. Speaking of teams and teammates, Percy seemed to be short one (Irrationally important) blonde. Maybe she was invisible but then again, despite Noir's gentle nature his combat prowess might be belied by it.

"Anyone seen Annabeth by the way?" he swore he heard Noir snort but when he looked over the wolf held a thoughtful expression and sniffed skyward. His expression turned to confused and then to grim. Suddenly he was holding the girl that was on his back princess style in his arms while she still held the flag. He looked down to see her blush lightly before scowling.

"Ummmm…Percy? Could you put me down please, I have a wolf to skin"

He chuckled and set her down. She quickly spun around looking for the wolf who they found standing at the edge of the forest. All humor the wolf typically displayed was gone, he stood their nose pointed towards Zeus's fist. He tossed a look over his shoulder and beckoned with his tails as he started trotting away. Lily didn't waste any time following the wolf while Percy hesitated for a second before trailing after them. As he got to the edge of the field a limber tail snagged him around the waist and brought him up to the wolf's back behind Lily. As soon as he was seated they took off at a ridiculous pace, and Percy realized why Annabeth had so much fun up there. The forest passed in a blur as they made their way to Zeus's Fist and only slowed when they arrived. Noir sniffed around to the backend of the hill where he stopped at a small crevice just wide enough to slip into if you didn't pay attention.

Percy immediately knew that's where Annabeth was, but before he could dismount the wolf there was a flash of black and suddenly they were somewhere dark and dank. Either direction they looked in was completely dark except for a single patch of light where Annabeth was sitting cradling her ankle.

"Percy! Don't go anywhere. We have to get out the way we came in otherwise there's no telling where we'll end up."

"But-"

"No buts! We have to go. Now. So get down from there and help me up."

Noir tossed his head back at Percy with a look that read ' _demanding isn't she?'_ Percy chuckled dryly, "You have idea fluff monster, now let's get out of here before she REALLY gets demanding."

"Hey!"

She didn't get any further as Noir gently picked her up and set her in the safety of Percy's arms turning the both of them red. Percy swore the wolf looked smug before everything went black once again. They stood atop Zeus's Fist and slowly made their way back to the campers who met them half way. Annabeth tried to get over her embarrassment of being cuddled into Percy's muscular, she meant warm- erm comfortable- screw it. She sighed thankful that no one could read her mind, which was shot down the second she felt the rumble of the wolf beneath her that and a sound like a growling chuckle that said otherwise. She turned bright red at the look Noir shot her over his shoulder and stuck her tongue out at him. Percy cocked an eyebrow at her but she simply ignored and curled up further into Percy's chest to make herself smaller beneath the (jealous) gazes of the campers.

Chiron looked amused along with Thalia while she recounted being swatted by Noir and making her way back up Zeus's Fist to get a vantage point to see where the wolf had vanished to. Instead she slipped down into this random tunnel with no light save for the crevice she fell through that was getting dimmer in the late afternoon.

"Where exactly were you Annabeth? You either know or have some suspicion as to whet the tunnel connected to otherwise you would not be so grim."

She met Chiron's level gaze with a bit of anxiety, "If I'm right… it's the Labyrinth. If Luke (she choked a bit on his name) can manage to navigate through, they'll have a direct route straight past our defenses Chiron."

With a furrowed brow Chiron made an announcement he really wished he didn't have to. "We need a search party to explore the Labyrinth, we can't let this hole in our defenses stay. We may very well need a quest." With a pointed look at Percy he turned back towards the big house, "Campers return to your cabins, we must all get some rest before we begin this venture. I fear war is right around the corner."

On that joyful note he handed Annabeth a square of Ambrosia and galloped off to the Big House.

"Well…I guess I'm giving you two love birds a ride then." Lily commented absent mindedly sending the love birds in question spluttering and turning red in the face. With a cackle she urged Noir onwards a speed pinning them to one another as they held on for dear life as the wolf sped towards the cabins.


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: In case of emergency disclaimer that disclaims my ownership of PJO and/or HOO. That is to say I own neither since Rick does.**

Chapter 9: Notorious Noir

Any ill will towards the wolf that had single handedly (Paw-edly?) taken the campers to pieces in capture the flag was quickly replaced with appreciation. The Hephaestus cabin loved him since he curled up in their forge asleep burning with platinum flames. Due to some curiosity on one cabin member's part they found that the flames caused a unique reaction in metals, making them sharper and stronger but still light and unnervingly well balanced. Loud protests were heard from the forges when Noir packed up and traded places to go sunbathing…on top of the Demeter cabin. Most of the cabin was okay with him just relaxing but when energy started pulsing into the plants around the area they were overjoyed. Everything blossomed more quickly than usual and flavors developed to epic proportions. Currently the camp was hauling in excess mortal cash from the overstock the Demeter cabin had. Katie Gardner, in her appreciation, had borrowed a brush and spent the greater portion of an afternoon lounging about with the wolf and grooming him. The pleased rumbling he got from him made her happy enough but the surplus was there for a reason. Every plant went into overdrive, even the strawberry fields were blooming like crazy leaving nymphs and satyrs scrambling about crazily trying to keep up.

When the older campers were busy and the younger ones had nothing to do, it was becoming a normal sight to see Noir bounding around with the kids perched on his back, or using his tails as an impromptu water slide into the lake. Percy had abandoned Ancient Greek classes when he saw the wolf doing all kinds of crazy water tricks at the lake, making huge floating balls of water with tunnels connecting them all for the kids to ride through. Annabeth couldn't even be bothered to try and keep up with her (boy) friend when he hit the water. She knew there was no hope especially when the older campers kind of shirked their duties to join as well. This caused noir to drop the whole ensemble, before resuming it on a grander scale at the sound with more than enough space for the whole camp in the massive water wonderland.

Needless to say Percy didn't head in until he absolutely had to, while Chiron stood at the beach mouth wholly agape.

"I don't suppose we could borrow him for a while?"

Artemis shot him a rare grin, "Nope!" With a pop in the P and a skip in her step she made her way back to her cabin where Noir laid, happily basking in the sun with Thalia curled up into his side as well. She couldn't help but marvel at the effect the wolf had on the camp, her Hunters, and herself. She had been quite out of character in recent times, smiling more than she had in a long time. Even being warm to males, well only Percy really since he was always nervously respectful around her but still entirely sassy and sarcastic with Thalia. Their banter always amused her, even in all their teasing and insults she could see the care and sibling love that had developed between them. Lily had taken to Percy easily since he was always goofy and brotherly towards her.

"If I'm honest I've always wanted a sibling. I've thought about before, a little brother to goof around with or a little sister to spoil." His smile was heartwarming as he watched Noir lope and flip around with her on his back. Green eyes sparkled with mirth as he tackled Thalia and began to tickle her, eliciting a tirade of colorful language between squeals and giggles. None of the Hunt even bothered to look disdainfully as he leapt off her and took off cackling wildly as she gave chase with a grin swearing all kinds of bodily harm against her cousin. It was turning into one of those days that you just sat around and enjoyed the people you loved and cared about.

 _"_ _A pity it won't last long unfortunately."_

Noir's voice startled her, but the grim tone suggested that it was not a statement of fact but more of a prediction. "What aren't you saying?"

 _"_ _Only what I shouldn't out of fear of consequence. All that can be said is a battle will ensue. Time wise I can't be specific but at the rate I keep being allotted time to talk by the boss man suggests I'll be needed soon enough. I dread that fact since you will most likely be facing something stronger than typical, or something you can't get involved with."_

Artemis took his sombre mood in stride and let that revelation sink in. She still allowed herself the pleasure of the peace for the time being.

"We'll move out tomorrow, complacency won't help an as much as this is a well-deserved break we need to get training. Lily has developed well when it comes to strategy and her archery is making impressive progress but her knife work is still weak."

" _Should I be worried about you teaching 9 year olds how to handle knives?"_

She shot him what would be a withering look, were she no straining her neck to look up to the cheeky wolf. She expected a smirk but what she found was radiant pride in his eyes as he watched Lily. She was currently helping tickle Percy after Thalia finally caught up with him. The three of them rolling around, tussling, and wrestling; being pointedly more gentle for Lily's sake. They eventually collapsed giggling and talking happily. Annabeth walked over to talk to Percy about something and was quickly pinned and tickled for all she was worth mercilessly by the three compatriots. She and Noir shared a chuckle before heading out to meet them as they ran around just ahead of an irritated looking Annabeth, who despite her disheveled hair, was smirking chasing Percy who was just behind Thalia with Lily on his back. All of them giggling like mad till they ended up in front of Artemis who had a grin on her face with hands on her hips.

"And what exactly do you think you're doing to my maidens Perseus?"

He allowed a nervous chuckle but her teasing was cut short when Lily yelled, "Noir! Quick while she's distracted!"

She had enough time for her eyes to widen before she was in a similar position as lily had been, suspended mid-air facing a grinning Noir. "Don't you even-"

She didn't get to finish the sentence as the few left over Hunters, Percy, and Annabeth were treated to the rarely heard sound of Artemis's tinkling laughter being forced from her by multiple dextrous tails. By the time the onslaught was over her sides were aching and everyone was grinning goofily at her mussed hair and red face. She finally managed to regain her composure before sending a silver laced glare at Noir.

 _"_ _Uh-oh…"_

Was all that was heard before one black blur raced off with a silver blur trailing like a comet.

-Line Break OF DOOM! MUAHAHAHAHAHAH-

The Hunters had packed up after Artemis returned from a none too successful bout of capture the puppy. This wasn't much of a surprise as they had once caught the wolf sleeping upside down on a tree branch 30 feet up a redwood when they stayed in California. Even with the occasional break for tag between Artemis and Noir, who still was uncaught except by Lily which was an exception, they managed to make good distance before setting up camp once again. They ended up near the Monogahela National Forest in Virginia, which was exceptional for a run even by Hunt standards. They warranted the blurring pace to Noir who seemed to have a limitless supply of energy he was very willing to display and share. They were tired none the less but the exhilaration of the run gave them a bigger high than anyone else. Breezing through the wilderness at blurring speeds fed adrenaline to them as they watched as Noir flipped and spun from branch to branch above them whenever the forest density allowed. They found a clearing that was perfect for camping almost immediately. Close to a river and away from the trees so they couldn't be ambushed. The girls, despite panting hard were happily chatting and joking. They had impromptu races the whole way through the run. It plagued Artemis to know that it would come to an abrupt end. Still they had time and she intended to make the best of it, "Girls set up and then we can go swimming!"

"Last one to the water is a rotten egg!" Thalia quickly rushed off after her announcement while one tent just magically appeared fully set up, a smirking Lily in a one piece following Noir to the water. The Hunt gaped at her as she walked past while Artemis stifled a chuckle.

"No fair!" Atlanta called. Noir just tossed a smirk over his shoulder, winked, and kept walking. She grumbled and reached for her equipment…which was missing. She looked up at an irritated looking Thalia who was eyeing the fully set up Hunter camp, including an already prepared hearth, angrily.

She turned to Noir. "And you didn't do that before BECAUSE?!"

She got a wolfish chuckle as a response, as he continued to walk to the river. It turned out to be deceptively deep as she saw the huge canine rapidly sink beneath the surface. It didn't take long before all of the Hunt was either lounging on the bank or swimming around and playing tag.

"Ladies!" was heard throughout and met with echoing groans.

"Apollo, what have I said about ogling my Hunters?" Artemis ground out.

"Ease up Lil'Sis, just delivering a quick message from Hades. He said that there was a massive disturbance form the pit. He thinks that there will be more monsters on the surface in the near future. Figured I'd come over and grace you with my awesome protection!" He flashed his famous mega-watt smile while Artemis glared at him.

"Noir." Very suddenly Apollo was face down on the ground beneath a wall of black fur. Noir sat perched on his back wagging all his tails happily as he sent a proud look to Artemis. She smiled and conjured a steak to toss to him. "Make sure he has nothing to look at either."

Noir dutifully nodded before using his tails to close off Apollo's view range of the girls. Apollo was busy whining to Arty and about how his powers weren't working. She simply smiled and flashed herself into a silver bikini so she could join her girls.

" _Oh my… Artemis the virgin goddess showing that much skin? I don't think that's appropriate."_ Noir's sing song voice echoed in her head as she blushed and turned a glare to the wolf who was laying down with only one eye open. Mirth and teasing contained in the orb. She opened her mouth to send a scalding comment his way but before she could, "Milady DUCK!"

She didn't manage it in time as she was engulfed in an orb of clear blue liquid. The ball of water quickly rolled towards the river and rapidly lifted into the air forming the same castle he made at camp for the girls, and now her to traverse. He eventually let Apollo go but not without forcefully blinking him out and bounding into the fray, rapidly skating across the water surface and flipping between the water planets he formed. They honestly had an amazing time jumping between orbs and racing around the complex, tumbling through the hollow slides he provided wrestling, and sunbathing. Artemis decided they would have to make up for their loafing with hard work tomorrow. She still gave them an early bedtime but no one really bothered to be in their tents on the warm night. They sat by the fire side trying to find some way to stay out. Noir happily obliged and grew to colossal sizes standing a lazy 45 feet tall before flopping onto his side shaking the camp. That night the Hunt fell asleep upon their favored companion beneath the stars, leaving their normal wolves to patrol. Somehow they felt they probably didn't need it with the area in a state of peace but did so anyway. The pups were actually amusing to watch as they tried to take in the massive wolf their mistresses slept upon. It passed but not without a lot of gaping. With everything in place and the rhythmic beat of Noir's heart, the Hunt fell asleep beneath the stars. The constellation of the Huntress shining brightly down on them.

-Super Fluffy Line Break! Fear the fluff…Fear IT!-

Artemis was true to her word and after the Hunt had awoken (Though it took much coaxing to get them off the giant plush wolf) things swung into full gear. The Archery range was constantly occupied, Lily herself was standing rigidly, nailing bull's eye after bull's eye. She was constantly changing between speed firing, mobile firing, and splitting arrows. She even had Noir toss a log her way every now and again to test her reflexes. She would either nail it with multiple arrows, or she would roll out of the way. As she became more and more comfortable with speed she started slowly stacking more and more speed. She had also jogged around the camp a few times to build independent stamina so she didn't have to rely on Noir. At the sparring ring, Thalia was leading close quarters combat training with Phoebe. Every now and again when Lily was taking a break she would call over Noir and spar with him, spear and shield on claws and fangs. Truly it was terrifying because they had only seen Noir use the odd tail to swat enemies but now, having him slashing and growling, throwing sharp bites and head butts. True he wasn't going all out but it was still scary to see the normally relaxed and laid back wolf attempting mock bodily harm.

Thalia didn't win but she definitely learned to trust her gut as she narrowly dodged tail swipes that shot out at her every time the huge wolf spun away from a stab or flipped over sweeps. He had shrunk to just above average wolf size but that simply made the agile wolf harder to hit. At one point he had bounced right off Thalia's shield sending her skidding. The Hunt had only known the wolf's tender side but they had no doubt whatever pissed him off tended to leave in pieces if it managed to leave at all. Artemis was indefinitely happy that their new members were turning out to be combat adept and was just going to hope they didn't have to test how well they would perform in a practical situation.

A wasted hope as it turned out. Not 45 minutes later were they ambushed and things simply got progressively worse from there. A simple excursion for a hunt after leaving Noir to guard the camp, quickly devolved into a scramble for their lives. The managed to end up in a defensive circle leaving the younger Huntresses towards the middle as the more experienced slowly expanded the circle via close combat. Thalia was not having it with any of the monsters as she swung her spear back and forth, sending the odd telekhine flying with Aegis. She was going strong but as quickly as they fell they were replenished. At least 80 monsters had to be here, a mix between dracnae, hellhounds, laistrygonians, and telekhines, which despite losing ground were nowhere near close to being done. They had already reduced more than 30 to dust piles but they kept coming, the original 80 thought quickly turned into more than 100.

Even with Artemis by their side the Hunt was tiring quickly, and Artemis was squeezed way too close to the group to truly let loose with her powers. There was something odd about these monsters as well. Instead of the varying eyes that she typically saw in the crowd, they were all mercilessly black and soulless. The normal bloodlust and macabre glee they usually display was gone and replaced with an unusual and cold intelligence. As quickly as they engaged they fell back, the relief was short lived as from every angle spears were readied. Artemis quickly jumped as high as possible, "CLOSE YOUR EYES!" the Hunters complied as Artemis revealed her true form. Which did nothing at all.

Spears were loosed and she watched as they glinted through the air, promising pain.

 **A/N: AHAHAHAHAHAHAAHHAHAHHAHAHHAHA CLIFF HANGER!**

 **Lemme know what ya think of the chapter guys. I really appreciate the reviews and on top of that your perspective helps me get YOUR perspective. Consequently it affects the writing sine I know what you don't/do like and I can possibly accommodate/augment to hopefully include your ideas and opinions. Like I said no flames yet guys but I'm always open to positive ideas and such. SO tell me whatcha think and what YOU like. Kay thanks bye =3**


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: Hey guys, back again. Hope ya liked the cliffhanger XD. Anyway without further ado here's chapter 10. Quick shout out my Beta BadWolfRisen. She's a fantastic write and great support. she helped encourage me to write this fic. Also if you enjoy The 100, she's writing a kick ass Clexa fic so go check it out!**

 **Disclaimer: Disclaimer stuff about me not owning PJO or HOO. I own The plot and OC's.**

Chapter 10: Darkness Falls

The world froze as she fell. Thoughts of her Hunters flooded her mind, Atlanta and Phoebe who had been by her side for centuries, Thalia who had taken up the mantle of lieutenant with a grim determination, Tracey who she had picked up when she was still very young and practically raised her, and now Lily who was the brightest ball of sunshine that had ever come to the Hunt. She brought familial ties that drew even the coldest Hunters in, that broke away insecurity with a single warm smile, and blew away worries and doubts with a surety in others so powerful no one could deny her. Finally her thoughts turned to Noir who had broken through the hatred of men to simply be a ridiculous goof ball. Randomly pouncing on her Hunters to tickle them and instigating massive games of tag that threw everyone off their chores. Who was the warmest bed they had ever shared together. The younger/older brother that quietly watched out for them, bringing smiles and safety wherever he went. Who she should've brought with them. Their combat wolf would be the end of these beasts in seconds flat.

That was not to be however, as they had left Noir a mile away and even he could not make it in time to stop what was already in motion. The spears trailed through the air rapidly drawing closer as the older Huntresses pulled more tightly together to protect their younger sisters. Thalia had even managed to blast a few out of the air with lightning as others fell to thrown knives but it wasn't enough. Atlanta quickly shoved Phoebe behind her as the first spear neared close enough to kill. Phoebe's scream echoed as it came within nanometers of her friend's chest… only to melt into a pile of useless color in a blaze of platinum. Four soft foot falls announced the arrival of Noir in a blaze of rage that lashed out and wrenched the spears from the air. The army hissed as the unnatural flames burned a barrier between them. He wasted no further time as he lashed out at blurring speeds, shredding throats and crushing telekhines beneath his massive paws. Ferocious snarls tore themselves from his throat as he batted laistrygonians away, sending them flying into trees at terminal velocity. The flames were quickly quieted as Thalia broke through and joined the fray leaving the older Hunters to follow while the young took up the position of ranged assault.

Truthfully it wasn't like they even needed to bother, Noir had turned into a practical demon. His fur coat had changed from a reflective pure black to a voracious devourer of light. Wisps of shadow rolled off of him looking like flames burning across his body, obscuring his features. All that could be seen clearly were his eyes that burned platinum, leaving a light trail of silver behind as he blurred around the battlefield. In fact it seemed it was almost as if he were on both sides of the circle at once as line after line of monster fell, in reality the shadows were leaping _off_ his claws as lethal crescents cleaving both beast and weapon. Eventually the pace slowed, less monsters were falling and Noir ceased attacking as they gathered their remaining forces away from the Hunt and the wolf. There must have been another 100 left to deal with but with Noir there they hoped it would make it easier. He was standing right in front of them, the beginnings of platinum trailing up his legs, as he paced back in forth between the Hunt and the army. His paws left a burning trail of silver wherever his feet fell. A living truck sized shadow, burning paw prints into the ground, anxiously waiting to shred his adversaries.

The relocation must have been a distraction as screams echoed from behind the Hunt, they swung to find Lily, Tracey, and Samantha being held hostage by a couple of telekhines. They must have used the trees and the movement of the larger monsters to get behind them before the army relocated to move their attention away from the rear of the group. Noir looked ready to burn the forest to the ground as platinum flames exploded up his legs, drawing intricate runes and symbols over his pelt, all burning and shifting like his muscles. As he snarled it was almost as if the shadows tore open to reveal his maw. He growled and the ground shook and cracked about him as he eyed the telekhines with his mouth agape. Artemis did a double take as she saw the second fanged jaw hiding within the first, both sets of teeth dripping shadows that hissed and melted the ground where they landed. His eyes promised only two things, suffering and death. Even the Hunt was cowering beneath the gaze he sent at the telekhines, despite not even looking in their direction. He quickly turned the look of rage forwards as the crowd parted revealing a man. He seemed obscurely out of place since he looked entirely normal, just some everyday jeans, button up T-shirt with the sleeves rolled up, short-ish spiky hair, and a build you would expect from a 35 year old lumber jack. Only his eyes and smile ruined the image

His sclera and pupil were the same intelligence filled blackness as the monsters but his irises were red. Not your average Crayola red, but rust red and strewn with cracks that pulsed with a black light. His smile was Cheshire, extending past his cheeks as he looked upon the Hunters, all pointed teeth and malice. Words spilled from his mouth in no particular language but the voice was haunting. Echoing and sharp, splitting the air as he spoke as if it refused to be a medium for his vile words. He finished his spiel and simply blinked out of existence much like Noir does and the monsters began to advance again. Blades rose to the neck of the hostages and Artemis herself prayed for a miracle. But as the first drop of blood fell from Lily's neck when the blade pressed in, the world exploded into light, and was then flooded by shadows.

A howl was all that was heard before the Hunt and Artemis passed out.

-darle alegria y cosa buena Heyyyyy Line Break!-

Artemis and the hunters awoke at camp groggy and annoyed, glaring harshly up at Apollo as he shone down upon them. Judging by the angle it must have been late afternoon, which confused them as to why they were lying on the ground when they should be-

Everything came back in a rush. The monsters, the fight, the hostages, Noir's for change, and the creepy figure that had apparently been the leader of that particular excursion. Then they remembered the three that had been taken hostage and were quickly on their feet. They looked about the camp for Noir who seemed to be missing at the moment and decided to check for the girls. They weren't in their tents so they headed for the infirmary (which was also a tent) to see if Noir had dropped them off. They found all three sleeping peacefully together on a larger cot and a massive shadow laying in the corner nearest to them, coiled up into a tight ball. Artemis sighed in relief n checked the girls, all that was visible was a small scar on Lily's neck which she was thankful was the extent of the injuries. With the girls fine she made the decision to check on Noir who was still resting in the corner.

As she approached she noticed that he seemed to have shrunk, possibly from the expenditure of his powers, but that wasn't the only thing amiss. She curiously tapped him on the shoulder eliciting a groan. Not a growl, a groan. She jumped back quickly as the figure uncurled and rose his head. Two black wolf ears extended above his head as he rose, stretching lazily in his overcoat. He let loose a toothy yawn revealing pearly whites and longer than normal canines, with a slightly longer, floppy tongue to boot. Loud pops were heard as he twisted a bit and cracked his knuckles. A moan of happiness (that she admittedly blushed at) escaped his lips before he opened familiar platinum eyes. He met her shocked gaze and smiled brightly

" _Moonbeam!"_

 **A/N: Hey... Don't forget to REVIEW! Kay, thank.**


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N: Heya boys and girls! Back again with some more ridiculously sassy canines an fluff-ish-ness. Got some backstory and a little bit of cutesy stuff going on. Anyway not much to say except thanks for sticking with me so far and hope you're having as much fun reading this as I am writing it. Don't forget to tell what ya liked or what a want so I know what to tweak. Now without further ado; CHAPTER 11**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own PJO or HOO, I own mah plot and Oc's.**

Chapter 11: What Were You Expecting?

Artemis reflexively brought out her knives and readied a stance, he raised his hands in a universal surrender sign while letting the smile reduce to a smirk, " _I get ya don't like the nickname but ain't this too much of an over-reaction?"_

She squinted at him, rich chocolate skin and long lashes, platinum eyes and hair as black as darkness itself. She knew it was Noir but her mind was fighting with her, telling her to skewer the male in front of her as Noir was a wolf. He simply stepped forward and bent himself in half, touching his toes before coming back up.

 _"_ _Here maybe this'll help ya out."_ He scrunched his eyes up in focus before he grimaced and a black mass burst from behind him. It quickly straightened itself out before whipping wildly in every direction. She noted they were in fact tails, black and sleek dextrously waving in the air. He shot her a smirk as she lowered her knives.

 _"_ _Woof"_ he said grinning as she went from suspicious to angry in seconds flat.

"What do you mean 'woof'?! You're supposed to be a wolf! How are you human now, why do you still have the ears, and were the tails really necessary Noir?"

 _"_ _Really? The ears are awesome, I like my tails since they're always useful, and c'mon Arty; ya really expect me to be able to speak and control unnatural flames and not be able to manage a humanoid form? What were you expecting? Tiny wolf and giant wolf to be my only party tricks?"_

Artemis glared. Hard. She wasn't happy with this but at the same time she was. True the wolf was quiet and she always wanted him to talk since he had either sass or meaningful input, but she doubted her Hunt was going to take this well. Speak of the devil, Thalia walked in, "Milady I thought I heard an unfamiliar-"

She stopped as she eyed Noir with the full on wolf ears and tails whipping restlessly behind him. Her mouth dropped open as she realized precisely who was standing in front of her.

 _"_ _Thunder Bug!"_

Thalia fainted.

-Line Break-

It took a whole lot of promising not to use bows, arrows, knives, or any form of power from the girls before Noir finally walked out of the tent startling everyone. Artemis looked back to find out way and realized he had changed from his jeans and shirt to a pair of black combat pants with boots to match. Three platinum chains dangled from the right side of his waist as two belts hung off his hips, held at the front by an ornate cross. He had an over coat on that stayed open at the base as it trailed behind him at shin height. It was white with a black fur lined hood, decorated with a black and platinum trim with another set of three platinum chains hanging on the left side of the vest. He had on black fingerless gloves with platinum seals on the backs, each emblemized with a black Omegas.

With the black tails trailing behind, he left and imposing figure standing taller than when Artemis had woke him. He stood 6 foot flat and was rather stunning to look at. His chocolate skin was a perfect warmth to match his blazing platinum eyes that were framed by long lashes. A mess of windblown hair fell down on his head, lightly shadowing his eyes making them seem more radiant. His grin was warm, disarming and promised mischief all at the same time. He was handsome, he was tall, and he was their wolf.

" _Heya Hunters! Good to see ya all in one piece!"_

They stared, mouths open, eyes bugging out. There was a series of clicks as Noir did his light speed trick and closed their mouths before reappearing where he had started.

 _"_ _You guys are gonna catch flies if ya leave ya mouths open ya know?_ "

Irritation quickly replaced shock, "You disgusting male! We actually bathed with you!"

 _"_ _False. You bathed with Noir who had his eyes closed by the way."_

"Yes but you are him!"

 _"_ _Entirely separate consciousnesses sharing a host for the time being. Besides I've been asleep for the greater portion of these travels. I come out to play tag and instigate some prank wars but other than that Noir is just a rather fairly intelligent wolf. Besides you're all so…young. Ick!"_

"Some of us are millennia old!"

 _"'_ _Xactly! Ya still a bunch a younglings, I have no interest in pedophilia. That's just nasty ya know?"_

They simply glowered at him. He sighed, _"Oh for fu- Look regardless of this form or what interactions were previous I was not part of that. Also I have no record for Noir's memories that have seen any inappropriate parts of any of you this I swear on the Styx."_

Thunder boomed signifying the oath and they waited as he pulled out a hackey sack from nowhere and bounced it around with a great deal of skill while they waited for the Styx to claim his soul. Nothing happened. They relaxed, even if only marginally. They still eyed him curiously as if waiting for an explanation but apparently he had been absorbed by the hackey sack he was playing with, frustrating everyone there.

"Yup, that's Noir alright. Easily distracted and loses track of where and what he was doing. Like the one time he ended up walking across the lake at camp as he followed a butterfly." Thalia was still annoyed and being prone to rash actions fueled by ADHD she shot the sack out of the air with a growl. Noir yelped and bounced through the air landing behind Artemis where he hid, peeking out over one shoulder.

 _"_ _Yeesh, if ya wanted to join all ya had to do was ask. Like holy Hades that coulda been my foot man!"_

"It won't be the only sack pinned to a tree if I don't get an explanation, preferably NOW!" Thalia's bellow sent quite a few of her sisters scrambling as she started to spark with electricity.

Noir simply raised an eyebrow, " _Anger issues much? I'll answer them, but after you cool off, got something to take care of in the meantime. Have fun and don't get eaten by anything scary while I'm gone!"_

Thalia roared in frustration and lunged for him but he was already gone. Her spear appeared in her hand as she sent a thick bolt of lightning into the hackey sack which promptly disintegrated. Artemis knew her Lieutenant hated not knowing or being left in the dark so she decided to fill the girls in on what she knew so far. She had them gather up and she recounted the incident in the Throne Room for them and watch as they paled drastically at the mention of how he shrugged off the Master Bolt and floored Ares with little effort.

"Who or what have we been traveling with?" Thalia asked looking troubled. True Noir was scary powerful but he was warm and gentle. Lily was right when she said he was a boy but that was just a characteristic part of him; much like his sarcasm and wit. The caring warmth he always displayed and his addicting playful nature. The Hunt was collectively contemplating they're belief about all men being pigs. Maybe, just maybe they could believe it was only some.

 _"_ _Great! I was worried I'd have to point out that I couldn't be a pig since I'm a wolf. Churro anyone? Just thought it'd be nice to share."_

Everyone stared incredulously at Noir who was simply floating suspended mid-air above the group as if lying on his back. He did in fact have a platter filled with Churros, some filled with Dulcé de Leché and others filled with chocolate.

"You left us contemplating the ideals we founded this group on that you rattled, to go buy Mexican fried desert pastries?" Thalia asked, a hint of anger and amusement leaking into her voice.

 _"_ _Yup"_ he said popping the 'p', " _It's been decades since I had churros kiddo, had a craving. Sue me if ya like but they'll still be delicious."_ The Hunt collectively tossed their hands into the air in exasperation as Noir happily munched on a Churro.

 _"_ _Sure ya don't want any? They're still nice and warm, plus it'll make for a great snack while we chat. Plus I get to rest my arm. Holding this plate after duking it out with that Cheshire cunt really took it outta me."_

"That's what you actually left for isn't it?" All heads turned to see Lily standing just outside the circle looking up at Noir. He vanished while the plate of Churros floated down to Thalia. She shrugged and tried one, giving an approving nod before offering the plate to the Hunters who looked skeptical. Noir reappeared back where he had been floating except this time wrapped around Lily tightly, a look of relief painted plainly on his face.

"Noir, I'm alright you don't have to worry."

 _"_ _Ha! As if! Those bastards had the audacity to lay their hands on you, don't think they got to live through that with all their limbs kiddo. I might not like showing affection but no one touches the one I do care for."_ The air grew tangibly colder with Noir's expression as it shifted to a lethal calm, " _No one."_ The Hunt shivered slightly as the temperature rose but did look appreciatively at Noir as he continued to cradle Lily to his chest. No matter how they looked at it he saved them and had fought beside them, turning what should have been their collective grave into a crowning victory. Even if they had passed out for the conclusion of the battle.

"Anyway, I love you too Noir but could you maybe get us down and explain? We all just need that one question answered and we can forget about this. You're still you just with less fur and more human characteristics, I'm sure the Hunt will be fine with it, just explain please." Lily turned on the puppy dog eyes just to make a point. He caved of course but hesitated, he cocked his head as if listening to something and gave a nod.

 _"_ _C'mon. We're going to Olympus, I might as well make it one thing and explain to the council while I'm at it. With this happening maybe Cosmos will come join me…I miss the big guy dearly really…"_ Artemis winced at the thought of the Hunt trying to adapt to a massive celestial reptile traveling with them. It would be rather…inconvenient to say the least. Not to mention completely conspicuous. She didn't have time to think on it further as Noir finally set Lily down, " _A'ight Hunters, kindly keep your hands and feet inside the existential flux to stay in one piece"_ the Hunt paled drastically, " _Just kidding!"_ he grinned at them and clapped his hands together. When their vision corrected itself they noted they were in the throne room of Olympus. Noir walked forward and pointed a finger gun upwards, he let his thumb fall. A platinum fire burst exploded outwards, twisting into a lotus blossom before collapsing in on itself and dispersing in a wave of flames.

"Showoff…" Artemis shot at him, he grinned in reply and waited for the council to arrive with the Hunt. They were still a little apprehensive but it didn't last long as he conjured a softball sized sun in his hand. Their jaws dropped until he tossed it to Thalia who juggled it around thinking it was going to burn but rather didn't. It was cool to the touch but the surface still roiled all the same. The girls took turns holding and inspecting it while Noir happily piggybacked Lily around. The Olympians flashed in one at a time, eyeing the 18 year old with the black tales suspiciously and then turned towards Thalia who was tossing a _freaking sun_ back and forth between her hands, whistling a merry tune. By the time Athena flashed in, Poseidon, Hermes, Apollo, Hestia, Hephaestus, and Demeter were playing catch with the Hunt; with a _miniature sun_. She quickly pulsed a message to the rest of the council and they promptly flashed in. They all stared for a second before Zeus interrupted the game that had started to escalate as wicked curves and fastballs were swapped. The Hunt and Olympians were having a great time with it until Zeus cleared his throat and they realized why they were here.

Noir was the last catch, shrunk it, and ate it.

 _"_ _Whoa! Talk about a spicy meatball man!"_

The assembly facepalmed.

"Who called this meeting, the method of summon was not anything we've ever had on the council." Zeus scanned the crowd looking for whoever did it but was interrupted by a yelp. Hestia was being cuddled by the strange teen that had eaten the sun. Hold up a second…that sounded weird even in his mind. Hestia looked perplexed but didn't pull away as she observed the teen smiling down at her, then she noticed the ears.

"The wolf…" He nodded excitedly and hugged her again.

" _Sorry but your just soooooooooooooooooo cute!"_ He continued to nuzzle her for another second before his tails shot around and formed a cocoon of comfort around the two. Hestia shrugged from her seat and situated herself to a way that suited her more and leaned back feeling quite cozy. He smiled down at her once more before looking back up.

" _Well obviously you should know who I am by now if not, woof."_ His smirk was devilish and screamed mischief as the Olympians were affirmed of Hestia's previous proclamation. Aphrodite actually pouted, "And what? No hug for me?"

His smirk softened to a smile, the air about him changed as he excused himself from beneath Hestia and walked over to the Love Goddess. Hephaestus was already resigned to his wife's ways while Ares was fuming. Aphrodite stepped down and was quietly engulfed in a hug. There was no lust as everyone expected, rather there was warmth. Slowly but surely it pulsed through the room as Noir held Aphrodite to his chest. She buried her face in the crook of his neck and took in the warmth. Every secret she kept, every heart break she had witnessed, every second of sadness she had caused her husband was quieted. Even if it was only a moment, she basked in it. The original purity of love she felt when she first got her domain. There weren't the heartbroken cries of young girls whose boyfriends cheated on them, no more husbands breaking beneath the weight of their divorces, no more families' wails as they lost those precious to them. It was just warmth. Peaceful, wholesome, warmth. She smiled and for the first time in a long time she let her make up fall away. Her low cut dress was swapped for a white blouse and he legs were enclosed in a simple pair of blue jeans.

Her eyes went to crystal clear, sea blue and her hair fell to her mid back in a single curtain of black. She shrunk to the age of sixteen and happily reveled in the warmth of the embrace that was more satisfying than millennia of cheating and meaningless sex could ever bring. She felt as if her sins were gone, her slate washed clean, and she no longer had two tons hanging off her left ring finger. She felt whole again, and words would never be able to express her gratitude as he released her. She tried to hold on longer, stay in that warm embrace but he wouldn't let her.

 _"_ _That feeling my dear? Hang onto it for dear life. Make it real and let go of what has been done. Look towards the future child, and make what you miss your reality. Let no urge bar you, let no weight be your bane, fight the horrors, and forever march forward. You can lie to yourself but you cannot lie to me, Love is your battlefield my dear. Remember you are the general."_

She met his eyes and nodded, she wiped away the tears that had fallen and her mouth set in a determined line. He smiled and pecked her on the cheek before returning to his seat where He closed Hestia's gaping mouth before situating her back in his lap, wrapped up in his tails. The Olympians looked to him, then to Aphrodite, and then back to him. He sighed and waved her over and she happily bounced over, joining her aunt on his lap. Once they were situated comfortably, he looked up and addressed the council.

" _Certain events and smug looking Cheshire bastards have led to my earlier than anticipated awakening. Damn shame too, I was having a nice nap. Regardless, I have time to use and I will be doing precisely that. In fact I would hate to have to explain again."_ He clapped his hands and suddenly the camp leaders were there as well. Some were random like Butch, Lou Ellen, and Clover who were the offspring of minor gods but they didn't question it. Percy saw the gods, then the Hunters, and then the boy with wolf ears and multiple tales.

"Noir?" he questioned

A grin graced Noir's features, " _Remind me why they call you dim again? It's certainly not true."_

Percy simply blushed and bowed to the Olympians along with the rest of the campers.

 _"_ _Well then with that out of the way"_ he pulled Aphrodite closer to his chest and she snuggled in, " _let's get on with a story shall we?"_

-Look up in the sky! It's a bird, It's a plane! Nope! Line Break!-

It took a little while, and Noir turning down multiple girls the extra space in his lap, to get everyone situated for the tale. Athena was practically bouncing with excitement with a recorder in hand, ready for anything. Most of the males in the room were glaring at Noir who was busily being ogled by the females in the room. For his part however he was completely ignoring them and working different braids into Aphrodite's waist length hair. His finger were deft and the movements smooth, his hands seemed to dance through the weaves seamlessly and Aphrodite looked quite comfortable with it too. Eventually everyone was seated either by their parent's throne or on a couch near the hearth provided by their tale master for the day.

 _"_ _Well then, now that everyone is ready let's begin. You all know who I am and regardless of my own lack of a name feel free to think of me as Noir as well. As for what I am, that requires a bit more of a back story. You all know that Chaos created the universe and whatnot correct?"_ nods all around, " _Good but where did Chaos originate from?"_

Silence ruled the throne room until Athena (of course) piped up. "How can the creator have a creator?"

 _"_ _Easy, what, or rather, who preceded Chaos?"_ The throne room was quiet. _"Don't worry, they are a mere rumor even to the Primordials. You see that Chaos is the maker of the universe, but there is a force and a being that manages it that precedes him/her. As such they precede everything, for what is the one thing we all share at our basest level?"_

You could hear a pin drop, it was that quiet. Finally the most unexpected voice rose, "We exist…" Noir positively beamed at Aphrodite who blushed and curled further into his side to get away from the stares of disbelief. _"Correct kiddo! Any who yeah, we all exist before anything else and that's where Helix comes into the picture. Helix was the beginning of everything and no one knows how long they have been around. They were there before even time began because they existed while everything else did not. They were dichotomy, housing existence while existing in an area of non-existence. Follow me so far?"_ A couple of nods and more scrunched up eye brows. " _Well at one point Helix decided that they wanted to have more things to exist outside of them self, as such they released existence bringing everything into being. However in doing do they were forced to take on non-existence, hence why very few know of them and even fewer believe in them."_

"But where's Chaos in all this?" Athena gave her daughter a proud look before scowling at Percy who was sitting beside her giving her the same look.

 _"_ _Clever girl, and good question but we'll get to that. As it was with everything being there all at once there was no rules nor order and everything was in disarray. Including consciousness. Consciousness is an aspect of living things but unfortunately there was nothing to host it. So it, along with a select few other aspects, attached themselves to the absolutes that were there at the beginning, regardless of their collective formlessness. So consciousness was given to Creation, Destruction, Life, Death, Time, Space, Love, Justice, but also negative forces such as Greed, Envy, Lust, Wrath, Gluttony, Deception, Ambition, and even more. That was the birth place of the First."_

It clicked. He wasn't a god or a Primordial. He was an existence who is as old as existence itself. The Olympians collectively sat farther back in their thrones, eyes wide, and arm rests gripped tight. Noir simply grinned, not a kind, warm, mischievous grin. It was cold. It sucked the warmth from the room, frost started to gather despite the hearth burning behind him.

" _So ya finally know what you're dealing with younglings?"_

The Olympians were honestly sweating nervously at this point, not to say that the campers and Hunters were fairing any better, that grin was a few screws loose short of insane.

" _Ooof!"_ He looked down at Aphrodite who smiling innocently while Hestia stifled her laughter. He rubbed at his ribs with a wry grin, " _Fine Fine. Enough screwing around. That was when my Master was born truthfully. From there I don't have the details but I was created in time for the birth of this planet. I have watched from the shadows as the Chaos brought the Primordials forth unto the world and gave them their domains. I watched as their rule came to peak, watched as they birthed the first gods and monsters, watched as they fell either to scythe, madness, or to the void. I watched as their children took up the mantle, watched as Prometheus formed the first man, watched as Kronos devolved to madness and used them as his amusement. I watched as the prophecy was given, I even planted a bit of my power into Rhea so she had the courage and strength to hide you Zeus. I gave her the plan and even used the shadows to augment the wine mustard mix you gave him. Truly you didn't believe just that would be enough to affect a Titan did you?"_

Zeus's mouth was on the floor at this point.

He chuckled and continued, " _I watched as your siblings emerged, watched as you fought your father and escaped, barred the door with shadows just in case you needed the time ya know? I watched as you ran, watched as you trained, watched as you fought. I gave your mother sanctuary and brought her from her husband, I was the one who helped the Cyclopses and Hecatonchires with the method of binding energies to enchanted metals to forge your symbols. I even strengthened Hades's shadows as he helped restrain your father. I was there for the claiming of the domains, and your fall to arrogance Zeus. I have watched from the shadows for millennia and my master for even longer, from a place I cannot reach. Regardless that is my story and the brief history of those like me. There is more you will hear from the mouth of another but what you must know is that The Seven Deadly Sins, as they are called on this planet, are awake and seek control. They will eviscerate Chaos, but if they want to do so they must start here. With you. Much like you, were are bound to a set of laws that prevents us from acting out within the universe but we can deny that. It takes a great deal of power to do and they cannot risk it yet. First because I would be able to locate them immediately and burn away their existence before things get out of hand, and two they wouldn't be able to stand up to my master who has slept for longer than them. As such he is easily the most powerful. With all his domains he might just be able to rival Helix at this point!"_

He let out a bellowing laugh that despite shaking the room with warmth did nothing for the collective shudder the other occupants shared. He was just so casual about comparing his boss to the one that gave him his initial existence that everyone, not only believed him, but feared what his opponents could possibly have in store that he didn't just smite them already.

 _"_ _Regardless of that, they're starting with all forces that might oppose them and using them against one another. The Primordials are already asleep, but even the Titans aren't stupid enough to let them run rampant, hence why they're pitting them against you. It might not be a lot of power between the two factions but it's less firepower aimed at them. They want every advantage and pulling out the stops to smash the foot soldiers isn't beyond them, they whisper one veiled truth here and there and suddenly parents will turn on their children."_

The Olympians would have been offended at being called foot soldiers but realistically it was true.

" _Well, with that said we need to get back to our regular scheduling. By that I mean Percy getting a quest."_ Percy, for his part, paled. Noir smirked, _"Don't worry, I'm gonna come along too! I can help out a bit but I don't want the Fates to bug me so it'll be minimal. Powers will be kept to a base too but oh well. Also I can't be the guide either in the Labyrinth, basically I'm limited to combat but at least it's something. In the mean time I would recommend training for bo- I mean the camp and the Olympians themselves preparing for war. This isn't going to be an easy fight but with a little balance it might be fun. Alright thanks for listening and hope ya enjoyed the story, now off with ya!"_

He clapped his hands and both campers and Hunters alike were returned to their proper placement. He grinned one last time at the Olympians, and vanished as well.

"Well at least we learned something today!"

Athena was promptly hit with a plush Pegasus.

 **A/N: Thanks for reading and if you had all the funz feel free to leave a review!**


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N: Heya ladies and germs I'm back again! Like I said some things will be changed to suit the story needs, so no Geyron's farm. Don't worry I will drag Nico into the fun cause you can't hate Nico. Anyway onto the chapter! Shorter one this time but I'll work o it for the next. don't forget ta review peeps!**

 **Disclaimer: Am I Rick? No? Then I don't own PJO/HOO or anything else I reference.**

Chapter 12: Follow the Bone Strewn Brick Road

Percy had just gotten the prophecy from the Oracle and he was not happy about being the center of _another_ quest. It just didn't sit well with him. True it was for the sake of camp but he was just not up for it. Obviously he chose Annabeth to come with him but he also had Grover with him, which made him feel marginally better. He knew Noir was supposed to tag along too but he was being his typical self and was likely goofing off somewhere, which he would very much so like to join in on.

" _It's just a rather fairly eventful walk man, no need to be so serious."_

Percy, Annabeth, and Grover leapt a yard in the air from where they were standing as Noir just _appeared_. Sitting indian style…upside down…mid-air at head height. He simply grinned at the trio. Annabeth scowled and Percy and Grover accepted his fist bump with a chuckle. This promptly got them slapped for their troubles while Noir took up to giggling.

"Ouch woman! I need that arm! Besides why didn't you slap him too?" Percy gestured wildly to Noir who was floating as if on a lounge chair, legs crossed and arms behind his head, grinning broadly at their interaction.

" _Cause she liked having an excuse to touch you pretty boy."_ Both Annabeth and Percy spluttered something fierce as Noir blatantly laughed at them. " _C'mon love birds, we gotta get a move on. ~On the road again!~"_

Noir did in fact sing the whole way, thankfully he swapped to something in a different language that tickled at Percy's mind with familiarity. He didn't know why, more than likely his connection to the sea through his father, but it clicked that he was singing in Atlantian. It was an uplifting melody that matched with his slightly bass voice, the resonance shook their bodies with ease as they fell into a comfortable walking pace. They reached Zeus's Fist quickly enough, but not without a couple of Naiads joining Noir's impromptu jam session. Not that they were complaining, but seriously the guy was easy to be jealous of. Percy was trying his hardest not to acknowledge Annabeth staring at him. He told himself it was because she didn't know too much about him, gods she hated not knowing, but the light blush that painted her cheeks said otherwise. It ended up taking all his will power not to growl at him when he tossed a saucy smile over his shoulder.

It was almost a blessing that it was nigh impossible to see once Noir blinked them down into the tunnel. That was short lived as Noir held up his palm, and in a burst of platinum he was holding a tinier, plushier version of the massive wolf they had first seen with the Hunt. The wolf took up residence on Noir's head were he lit up his body with glowing runes, filling the tunnel with light. Looking quite pleased with himself, the wolf yawned and went to sleep.

 _"_ _Lazy pup."_ Noir said warmly. The pup for his part simply swished his tails back and forth happily. " _Well then, onwards we go children. We gotta go get us a glorified ball of string- and I'm not allowed to lead the way. Completely forgot about that."_ He scrunched up his eyes before he disappeared and Percy felt a weight on his head. Noir was in tiny plush wolf form lying on his head!

" _Wake me when there's something to slay, I want a nap!"_ There was no time for the quest mates to protest as some of the runes faded, dimming the corridor. They presumed his presence had retreated into the wolf for now and decided perhaps it was for the best. Demi-god scent already attracted monsters, they didn't need to find out what a deity older than the universe's creator reeled in.

-Labyrinth Line Breaks, Line Break Liquidly and Languishly-

They had been walking aimlessly for the past half hour not exactly sure what they were heading towards, with no sense of direction. After Annabeth's plan of following the left wall failed spectacularly when it disappeared, they figure it was best to wing it. As it turned out winging it sucked. They came to a large open room displaying both Greek and Roman paintings. The pillars were cut from marble but were stained and mottled, whilst the depictions were faded and unclear.

That wasn't the problem. The problem was a massive Scorpion thing sitting upside down on the ceiling. It had the lower half of a full bodied scorpion, except where the mouth would be was a torso. The torso was humanoid and muscled but had four massive pincers that extended from the shoulder instead of hands. His face was grotesque. He had no nose or mouth that could be defined and beady black eyes were scattered about a bald head. They soon found out it did in fact have a mouth when it dropped from the ceiling and landed perfectly on its feet. Snapping six toothy pincers at them it hissed revealing a maw filled with needle like teeth, dripping black goo. Two enormous tails proudly put themselves on display behind it, as they raised well above the 12 foot tall behemoth.

"You gotta be freaking kidding me…" Percy was quite proud he didn't piss himself when it lunged. He and Annabeth both jumped backwards drawing weapons and praying to whatever gods they could think of to see them through this safely. Turns out it was unnecessary when a resounding crunch was heard and the creature wailed as its lower half was crushed. A flash of white striations preceded another crunch as a second pair of jaws slammed shut around the beast. Its pincers were left flailing wildly outside of the massive mouth before the jaws clamped down harder and all movement ceased.

Percy and Annabeth were stock still as they stared down the biggest crocodile/alligator thing they'd ever seen. Its silver teeth shimmered in the dim light and it's iridescent black skin made it all the more intimidating. 4 eyes peered at them before they closed and the beast sunk into its own shadow.

" _Friggin hate arachnids. I'm fine with anything with six legs and millipedes, don't get me wrong. But centipedes and Arachnids? Ugh! I swear I'm investing in a flame thrower…"_

They watched as Noir's human form walked passed them. " _If these idiots keep messing with the set course I might get to run wild sooner than later. Oh well not my problem I suppose. Now c'mon kids it's lunch time!"_ He clapped his hands summoning a blanket and sandwiches before he sat down.

" _Dinner guest in 3…2…1…0."_ He looked quite smug when Hera flashed and took in the questers plus Noir sitting on a picnic blanket shivering in fright, save Noir of course. He simply smiled warmly, " _Impeccable timing my dear. Now chicken salad or Ham and Cheese?"_

-Anti-Arachnid Line Breaks are in fact equipped with Flame Throwers-

The impromptu picnic went well enough. Hera delivered cryptic advice about how Percy already knew how to navigate the Labyrinth and flashed away after enjoying a chicken salad sandwich and glass of remarkably well brewed tea. Noir suggested that they settle down for the night while he would keep watch. Percy, Annabeth, and Grover held no protest. Too many thoughts were spinning through the demi-gods heads and they prayed for a rest filled night. To their surprise they got it and were awakened to the snap of flames as Noir cooked bacon on a skillet. He had already set out 3 plates of toast and scrambled eggs with milk to boot. One glass was even blue for Percy. Of course he had to swap Grover's bacon and eggs for tin cans and enchiladas but he didn't seem too annoyed.

After they kept walking for a bit they came to a cross road in the tunnel.

" _Hold up a second…something smells off. It smells like the wild coming from the right, but it smells of machinery from the left."_ Noir paused before clapping his hand together, materializing Tyson next to him. The cyclops looked confused for a second before smiling and crushing Percy and Annabeth in a hug.

" _Tyson I need you to accompany Grover down that path"_ Noir grabbed Percy and Annabeth, " _These two potatoes are coming with me."_ With no time to protest a wall slammed down between them and another behind each group. There was only one option. Both squads took confidence in Noir's instructions and began walking forward. As they continued down the tunnel, passing the odd skeleton, they hoped there were no more surprises in store for them.

Unfortunate they didn't account for exploding platypuses…


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N: Hello duckies! I'm back with another Chapter peeps and hoping you guys are still having fun! I'm quite proud to have as many views and visits as I do, especially as a first time poster so once again thanks for the continued support! With that outta the way on to the disclaimer and Chapter.**

 **Disclaimer: *Ahem* I own PJO and HOO. *Get hit by a copyright truck* Okay never mind I don't.**

Chapter 13: Are you Kidding?

" _A'ight. I've had enough of this crap."_ Noir whipped his tails with the force of a Howitzer sending their nitro-charged monotreme procession tumbling into one another before they _bloody exploded!_ Annabeth and Percy took the time to practically keel over.

"Why…*huff*…In the Hades…*huff*…did those platypuses have to explode?"

Percy looked to his companions for some kind of explanation all he got was, "I think the plural term is platypi…" Annabeth trailed off at the glare Percy shot her while Noir snickered.

" _Not gonna lie guys. Ya have to admit that was pretty funny. Besides, these ones didn't shoot goo eggs from their-"_

"Okay! It could've been worse but let's not make it worse or give it a chance. Let's get moving before something else decides to chase us before exploding in our face."

 _"_ _Yes…Let us."_

Both Annabeth and Percy turned to a smirking Noir, who lo and behold, was holding a head of lettuce. They both looked incredulous before chuckling, then full out laughing on the floor while Noir joined after a bit. When they finaly regained their bearings Noir was already back to huge wolf form. Percy helped Annabeth up onto his back. He ignored the sly look Noir shot him when Annabeth leaned back against him and focused more on the ride. They didn't encounter any further trouble but eventually came to a pair of massive celestial bronze doors. Noir didn't bother knocking as he walked right up to them and they opened without a sound. They were met by the inside of a car shop.

" _Hephaestus! How dare you pull apart a 2004 Nissan GTR and not even bother to throw back in a bloody twin turbo! And for the love of all things manly the bloody wing is supposed to be a GT race wing not a carbon sport spoiler! C'mon man!"_

Hephaestus came out from underneath the car scowling before looking thoughtful and summoning the necessary parts.

" _Ain't that better?"_ Hephaestus grudgingly nodded to Noir and the questers bowed.

"Lord Hephaestus, we need guidance through Labyrinth. We must find Daedalus's workshop and prevent the Titans from getting Ariadne's string." Hephaestus looked Annabeth in the eyes.

"Aye, you will require my help, however it will come at a cost." Both demi-gods paled at this. "It will be menial at best heroes. One of my nearby forges is being used by a couple monsters and I do not approve of it. I cannot do it myself since they sense my presence whenever I get near. Clear out the forge and I will provide you with guidance to the workshop."

The questers nodded their consent before bowing once more and heading to the door. When they got there a tiny gold automaton popped out of the floor, revealing itself as a spider, and scuttling off. Noir and Annabeth shuddered before they all took off after it.

" _Why the hell does it have to be a spider? Couldn't have been a nice fat bumble bee?"_

"Agreed."

"Spiders are kind cool actually."

Both Annabeth and Noir turned to Percy looking incredulous. He simply looked sheepish and tried to shrink further down.

 _"_ _One more comment like that and you're walking the rest of this trip."_

Percy, dutifully, stayed quiet.

-NA Na Na Na Na NA~ NA~ I wanna start a Line Break-

"Menial task my ass."

" _Language Perce. Leave it to the ridiculously old, polymorphic, power entities will ya?"_

Percy and Annabeth shared a look before they turned back to the forge entrance. If could be called a bloody forge. They had come to the end of the tunnel with another bronze door. The spider automaton scuttled up the door and set itself into a small indent before turning into a small bronze pellet and sinking into the door. They ended up walking down a hallway fit for a god before a luminous glow caused them to come to a slow. They peeked out into the 'forge' and found themselves in a massive open cavern. A platform was suspended above a boiling lake of lava.

They were in a volcano. A bloody volcano.

The real kick in the teeth was the 'couple monsters' Hephaestus told them to expect turned out to be 20+ telekhines…that seemed to be fire resistant. Perfect.

It only got worse.

"Careful you fool! One cut will sever your immortal soul from your body!"

They focused in on a pair of telekhines carrying a scythe. It was grotesque. It was unnatural and just plain…wrong. It was blended mortal steel and celestial bronze. However where the metals met, it glowed and sizzled. The metals just weren't meant to be together.

"Perhaps another dip in blood? Maybe water from the River Styx will help?"

Percy didn't know why but every instinct was screaming to break that blade before it was completed.

" _Wait till they disperse, then we sneak in and try and get rid of that blade before it gets into the intended hands."_

They did exactly that. The blade was left on a table next to the forge while the telekhines moved off for 'happy meals on wheels'. They all shuddered and began to creep towards the table. Hopefully this would go smoothly.

It didn't.

 **"** **Ahera tu gawa set mera tré. Foraém projírá te éra lo haza íkera."**

The words grated on their ears, their teeth ground, and their skin crawled. They turned to see a regular average everyday lumber jack. Minus an arm and had a Cheshire smile. Noir growled low. The telekhines had come back full force. 30 stood around them, half with pure black eyes, and holding boiling balls of lava. They were surrounded and things were grim.

"Noir can you-"

" _Not unless this Cheshire bastards moves too. The rules we abide by? They're meant to maintain balance. I can't engage unless he does, and as much as I want to crush his goddamn face in it'd destroy a good portion of this mountain. Speaking fights, how's the arm kitty cat?"_

Cheshire's smile didn't falter. Rather he raised what was left of the arm. The stump bubbled and boiled before exploding into a perfect new limb. Noir scowled, " _Ya know it wasn't easy to tear that off asshole. Respect the effort I put in douche-canoe."_

They closed in closer together and Noir took human form. His fingers were ablaze with platinum flames. The flames sharpened to points and dripped with power. Cheshire's smile seemed to broaden at this action while Noir narrowed his eyes. They could hear his teeth grinding when something clicked in Percy's mind. He dropped a hand on Noir's shoulder.

"Can you get her out of here without consequence?" His eyes widened for a second before they narrowed once again. He nodded. Annabeth didn't look happy.

"Seaweed Brain what're gonna do?" He didn't respond. Noir let the claws dissipate along with Cheshire's smile.

"Get her out of here. I'll handle these bastards. Cheshire over there can't get involved with me, if that were the case we'd be a smear and you'd be removing his head. Go. I got this."

Cheshire looked straight angry at this point. Percy drew Riptide and went to stand ahead before a hand stopped him. He spun and was met with the softest feeling ever. Annabeth's lips left his a moment later, leaving his body singing, and his brain addled.

"Don't go dying on me Seaweed Brain." He didn't have time to respond as Cheshire made a lunge for Noir. Noir simply tossed him over the railing, grabbed Annabeth, and blinked out. Cheshire rose back over the railing covered in molten lava, face half melted to the bone, and completely pissed off. The sound he loosed was something unholy and shook his ribs in his body. He blinked out as well, leaving Percy and the telekhines. He wasted no time and plowed full force into the telekhines.

He whirled and spun, Riptide casting an arc of pure destruction. Bronze shredded through dark fur and bone with ease. He ducked and spun. Flipped and rolled beneath claws and lava.

He eventually got caught on the shoulder with a claw. Hissing he spun away with speed only to take a shot to the chest with a ball of magma. Pain was all he felt as his ribs melted beneath the molten rock. His skin sizzled and charred and his shirt started to burn with it. He didn't get a chance to respond as another caught him in the shoulder. He was pressed up against the railing of the forge. His choice was between swimming in a volcano or 19 angry telekhines with fire balls. Great.

"Careful now. We wouldn't want him…overcooked. On the bright side however, you will have a nice outer char. Hope you've enjoyed life demi-god." The telekhine raised his hand with another fireball aimed at his head.

The world slowed as Percy remembered his claiming at camp.

 _Hail, Perseus Jackson, Son of Poseidon. Lord of the Sea, Father of Horses, Storm Bringer, and Earth Shaker._

Percy prayed and focused on all his strength. He focused on the crash of the waves of the sea and his connection to his father. He vaulted the railing and fell towards the lake of fire beneath. As he was about to hit he pushed his power outwards. The tug in his gut hit like a boxer's straight and he doubled over.

The cavern shook, vapor surrounded him, and a voice rang true despite the deafening roar of the volcano.

 _Hail Perseus Jackson, Son of the Earth Shaker_

Everything went blank with the roar of an explosion.

 **A/N: Hey guys just gonna say that the bold I used for Cheshire wasn't any particular language I just kinda slapped words together with accents to for it so if it did come out in any language and was inappropriate ya have my apologies. But what he said was, "Hello trio of the maze. Found the perfect place to set you ablaze." Yeah I know I coulda used some other language with google translate but I didn't want to presumptuously use another's language for some evil dude and offend anyone. I'm a complete sap like that. Anyway, hope to see you next chapter and don't forget to REVIEW! Please…**


	14. Chapter 14 & 15

**A/N: Hey guys I'm back again! Sorry for the wait the fam has had me busy!Just got back from the cottage and warm days without wifi! But now that I'm back have a double chapter to make up for the wait. Remember to review!**

 **Disclaimer: Y'all know the drill I only own the plot and OC's but not PJO or HOO, that's all Rick**

Chapter 14: Paradise Lost

Percy had never been a fan of flying without his trusty pegasus. Not even when he had to return Zeus's bolt. This trip further reinforced his ideals, as one can imagine being shot through the air at a couple hundred miles per hour by thousands of pounds of pressure and explosive force made for a turbulent flight. That is to say it sucked shit. He registered his scorched skin and horrible bruises, more than likely a couple broken bones and shattered ribs, then passed out as vast amounts of water roared away beneath him.

Percy woke with a groan. His head pounded, his body ached, and every single joint popped as he moved for the first time after what felt like an eternity. He took a second to slow his breathing an ease his burning ribs before opening his eyes. He immediately regretted the decision as the light made his headache all the worse. After another ten minutes or so of lying around in pain he finally made to get up. He rolled off the surprisingly comfortable bed and found himself half naked beneath the sheets. Simple, white linen pants hung off his hips and exposed his heavily bandaged torso. His arms felt like lead and his legs burned in protest as he stood. He took a moment to make sure his vision wasn't swimming anymore before he left the room.

He was in a tastefully decorated cave with sparse furniture lying about. Herbs laid drying in baskets while the most peculiar silver flowers bloomed upon the window sills. The wind was cool and salt laced making him feel like he was near the ocean. He was probably on an island. He quickly made his way out to the cave entrance and headed down to the beach. He took a quick second to let the sea water take the edge off his injuries before he headed back to the cave. The cool water and wind combined helped quite a bit. Still, he intended to thank whoever had dragged him ashore and tended to his wounds and possibly, hopefully get back to camp. He still had to finish the quest and keep it from being overrun.

He made the snap decision to follow the smell of food and smoke towards the side of the cave by what appeared to be a garden. As he got closer he could begin to make out singing. The voice was beautiful and melodious. It was enchanting and made his whole body tingle as the melody lifted the remainder of his pain. He entered the garden to find a gorgeous girl happily stirring a pot over the fire. The classic chiton she wore was pure white and tied at her waist with a gold band. Her long, rich hazel hair was braided with gold ribbon and hung down to the small of her back. She wore greek style sandals with the leather bindings bound up to her knees. The leather accented her smooth caramel skin while the chiton tastefully presented her figure.

The tune stopped abruptly as she turned and found him staring to which he blushed profusely. "S-S-sorry. I…Um- just wanted to say… Er- thanks for the help and yeah."

Yup. Give him and army of monsters, he was fine. Stick him in front of a pretty girl? Doomed.

She simply laughed lightly and tutted at him. "Really now. You should still be in bed hero. In fact I believe I'm supposed to change those bandages soon." Percy simply nodded dumbly before his voice returned. Her almond shaped eyes and soft features were doing horrendous things to his already addled thought process.

"Right! Again. Thank you miss?"

"Calypso. Just call me Calypso."

"Great well I'm Percy, a pleasure to meet you.

Percy was led back to the bed he woke up in after he helped Calypso bring in the pot of stew, regardless of her vigorous protests that he needed to take it easy. Yes, it did hurt but he still felt like he had to do something since she had practically put him back together after what had been an undoubtedly painful landing. She quickly undid his bandages, leaving him exposed and blushing ferociously while she checked over his bruises with deft fingers. He could have sworn he saw her blush when he shuddered at her touch but dismissed it. Still something tickled at his memories about her name. He didn't have time to think about it further as she finished quickly enough and before he knew it he was seated at the table with a bowl of stew in front of him.

He didn't bother hesitating. He thanked her and dug in with gusto. Thank gods he was sitting cause his legs went numb at the taste. .Delicious. Before he knew it he was done and up for seconds much to Calypso's amusement. Her smile seemed to light up the world and Percy simply blushed beneath it.

He met her gaze and decided he needed to get back to work. "Um… Calypso. Where am I exactly and how long have I been out?"

She didn't seem too excited to answer as she fidgeted around a bit. She sighed, "You are on my island Percy. This is Ogygia."

It clicked. "You were cursed weren't you? Forced to be alone on this island and fall for any hero that washed up on your shores. Only-"

"Only for them to leave me heartbroken and alone once again. The fate I have been dealt simply for helping keep my fellow Titans alive. Never even held a blade lest it was to save a life, not take one."

Percy frowned. Sure the Titan war was brutal but Calypso didn't deserve millennia of heart break simply for keeping her family alive. It didn't sit well with him at all.

"As for how long you've been here… 3 days so far. Unconscious for 2 and you awoke today, however it could be more since this island is enchanted. Time moves differently.'

Percy's head swam. He had been gone for 3 plus days. He needed to leave but he couldn't leave Calypso. Not like this. Not waiting for another heartbreak to come in gods know how many centuries. He needed to get her out of here.

" _Commendable Percy, but you should know that won't be possible."_

Both heads turned to find a massive shadow standing at the head of the table. The shadow was a massive white owl. It stood there with a face of black and feathered horns to match. A set of black feathers carved what looked like an Alpha character crowned with an Omega into his chest. The rest of the feathers around his stomach were lined with reflective black. The eyes were what truly gave him away. Noir looked warmly down at them.

"Κενό Φως…" was all Percy heard before Calypso was up and being caught and held against Noir's chest as he chuckled lightly. Percy translated Void Light as he watched the pair.

" _Yes my dear, it has been a while hasn't it?"_

She didn't say anything, she simply held him tighter. His wings lightly rested about her as he faced Percy.

 _"_ _You can't have expected me to have left her alone all these years could you?"_

Percy gave him a teasing glare and then a smile before he sobered.

"Noir, can't you do something."

He shook his feathered head sadly, " _I can't interfere with the set course of Fate even if I disagree with it. Ya think I would have let Kronos keep all his limbs after eating his kids if I had a say? The answer is no. I would have ended a lot of things before they started but I can't without tipping the scales in favor of those who stand against me. Regardless of my inability to act without essentially dooming the universe, I will say that all things come in time young ones. Be patient for good things come to those who wait."_

For his part he gave Calypso a squeeze and let her down. She smiled once more and finally let him go.

She scowled at him which Percy had to admit looked cute, "300 years since you last visit and no apology! Really Void? Or should I say Noir as Percy calls you?"

Even as an owl Noir looked quite sheepish. " _Yeah sorry. I took a nap and lost track of time. On the bright side…"_ he swiped a wing across the table leaving a wrapped chocolate box. " _I know I haven't brought you any of my specialty chocolates in a while my dear."_

The way Calypso's jaw dropped Percy guessed this was something unique. With shaky hands she lifted the lid to find 24 gorgeous chocolate delicacies. They were all topped with caramel drizzle and lightly salted. Calypso handed him one. He looked at Noir, then at Calypso, and popped it in his mouth.

He melted in his seat just like the chocolate in his mouth. The salt and caramel blending perfectly. There was the light crunch of hazel nut and a liquid center that danced lightly about his mouth. The salt provided the perfect crunch and counter balance to the sweet milk chocolate and complemented the taste of the caramel. He knew why they were specialty now. Calypso's eyes were closed and her smile was peaceful as she reveled in the taste.

" _Hopefully they will make up for me not visiting. I will be back my child but at a later date. Of course with more chocolate and possibly another surprise since we may very well be celebrating."_

Calypso nodded and headed to the kitchen for a moment before returning with a small potted plant. The leaves were silver and the scent brought an air of calm.

"Percy, you have a good heart and I don't need the mystical owl over there to tell me that. Take this. It's Moonlace and only grows on this Island. May it bring you peace and light in the darkest of times." She lightly kissed his cheek leaving them both blushing madly and a smug looking owl. Ignoring the stealth bird he silently vowed to get her off this island. No matter who, they don't deserve this as a punishment for defending their family by acting as a medic. He carefully handled the plant and turned to the 8 foot owl. They nodded briefly at each other and made for the exit.

As soon as they left the cave Noir grew to 15 feet tall leaving him with a 30 foot wingspan and more than enough room for Percy. He climbed on his back and they gave one last smile to Calypso.

" _I will see you soon my dear, sooner than you would expect."_

With those cryptic words Noir took off. Not a single grain of sand was disturbed as they rose and not a sound was made as they took off from the beach.

-THIS LINE BREAK'S ON FIYAAAAA!-

The ride back was smooth. Percy was happy to hear that Annabeth was safe and almost giddy when he heard she was worried about him and had been begging Noir to help.

" _Though with you missing for a week and all they think you're dead and whatnot so that might throw a wrench in you guys relationship works."_

Percy almost fell off his back. "A WEEK!" he roared. Noir actually winced.

 _"_ _I know, I know. I couldn't do anything about it. I very well returned to not speaking at all since I couldn't interfere. You know that with such limitless powers rules must be abided without question. I could very simply disintegrate Cheshire's face but that would leave another 7 individuals to eviscerate me while they have the benefit of less restriction on their power usage."_

Percy shuddered. Noir was their ace in the hole and the thought of him being annihilated so easily put the scale of their enemy in perspective. It only now came to light that Kronos and his army were mere puppets on strings. It felt like there was an ice block sitting in his gut.

 _"_ _You see? That is exactly why I act with such caution if I act at all. A millimeter of take can result in a mile of give. This is more or less fifth dimensional chess. Moving a single pawn on a single board may very well cause your kings to lose their heads on the other four. I am sorry, truly. However I cannot help the parts without dooming the whole so far. I only request a bit of patience. My time to act approaches soon and believe me when I say._

 _ **I intend the make the most of it."**_

The change of voice shook the world around them. Reality rippled and trembled. Percy felt like his existence was coming undone. Whatever they were facing, Percy still felt sorry for them.

-And now, a Time Skip of minimal proportions-

Considering that following Noir's statement they promptly broke the sound barrier, it must've taken them roughly 8 minutes before Long Island Sound was visible in the distance. The camp was gathered at the pavilion around the fire. They came down silently and landed behind the crowd as they watched Annabeth, Chiron, and Dionysus stand before a green shroud with a gold trident on it.

They were burning his shroud and Annabeth was holding the torch. Tears fell freely from her face as she spoke, "He was the greatest friend, and always selfless. He was a true hero. He…" her eyes met his, "He's right there!"

The entire crowd swung around to see him standing in white linen pants and the ratty remains of the T-shirt he was wearing when he left on the quest.

He was going to have to explain. Granted the angry Annabeth storming towards him let him keep all his limbs of course. She was busily tossing campers aside and shoving her way through having no patience for anyone as she approached a rapidly paling Percy holding a silver flower. He tossed the Moonlace to Noir who caught it on his owl head and stepped back as Percy braced himself for the beat down of the century. It didn't come as he was squished into a bone crushing hug.

"Thank you for not dying on me Seaweed brain…" He softened at the nickname and wrapped his arms around her.

"Sorry for making you worry Wise Girl." He was socked right in the ribs

"You have so much explaining to do! Why not send an Iris message? Where were you? How are you even alive? What happened that cause the mountain to explode?! What were-"

"Enough, Annabeth. There will be time enough for explanations at the war council tomorrow. We still have a quest to finish and the string to find. Campers return to you activities before dinner and try not to pester Percy too much about his whereabouts. Those bandages hold a story we will all hear about in time. Dismissed!"

Percy sighed in relief, thankful for Chiron's interruption lest he be dissected by Annabeth. Still she scowled something ferocious at him while he managed an embarrassed smile.

She eyed Noir who was in owl form curiously. "Is that…?"

He nodded and Noir spread his wings, ruffling his feathers proudly beneath the campers' gaze.

"Is there anything that wolf- owl- whatever, can't do?" Katie Gardner asked out loud.

" _Not really, no."_ She sighed and nodded, not bothering to be surprised at his speech or even argue with the polymorphic beast. The campers eventually dispersed while Noir took off after saying something about cuddling Lily. He left the Moonlace in Percy's hands and with a massive flap was gone to the find the Hunters. Annabeth eyed the plant warily before she saw the look of sadness on Percy's face.

"Whose it from?" she queried. Percy met her eyes with a sadness she would never thought she would see in him.

"Someone, who is just as much a prisoner of their own destiny as I am."

Those were the last words he said before he disappeared to his cabin, cradling the flower like a life line or a small flame in a high wind on a dark night.

Annabeth shook her head. 'If he's getting Philosophical it can't be good.'

She sighed once more and left for dinner. 'Please be all right Seaweed Brain.'

 **With the Hunters**

Lily should have had her knife buried within a dummy. She was training, really she was. Now she was being cuddled by a giant owl. She sighed. "Guess you're back huh?"

He huffed, " _Well don't you sound happy to see me?"_ She turned so she was facing his chest and snuggled in.

"No, it's just. Monsters, and wars, and Titans, and domains come to life? I feel insignificant. I know I know. I have family, and I have people that matter to me and me to them but I feel as though every action weighs so little in the grand scheme of things. I'm not a leader like Thalia, or strong like Phoebe. I can't track like Atlanta, and I definitely can't do magic like Sarah." Her emerald eyes met his. "I don't feel like _I'm_ enough."

Noir's eyes briefly flickered to someone else's. Lily was surprised she managed to keep _her_ eyes in her head. They were quasars and singularities for irises and pupils of infinite warmth.

" ** _My child. You need not worry about being_** enough ** _as you say. Rather you are more and you don't know it yet. In you lies potential my child, amounts of it you have yet to tap into. With time you will be strong, ridiculously so if I do think about it." _** His chuckle was just as warm as his eyes and his voice had quieted the universe, as if existence hung off his every word. **_"But, I believe time is not something you wish to wait upon. I will give you the spark child. However, it is in your hands to manage the blaze that will follow."_**

He brought his forehead against hers, letting the power flow through and in. It didn't stay within her long as it simply brushed up against the well of her potential, drawing out only enough to start her on the right path. Still she could feel the warmth of the power- _her_ power flood her body.

It started to burn. She panicked, her breathing was getting ragged, and he skin was starting to steam. She was being burned away by her own power, she couldn't-

 ** _It is in your own hands to contain the blaze that follows_**

The words rang true in her head. She pushed all the power into her hands. Focused all the heat and flame to her palms. It complied. She focused on a point above her hands and poured everything she had into it.

It burned to life in a flash of brightness, brief as a breath, a tiny sun burst into being before collapsing into nothing, along with her consciousness.

She awoke the next morning lying on a familiar black wolf, wondering if last night was a simple hallucination.

 ** _Hail, Lilianna Vale. Daughter of Hemera, Primordial of the Day._**

It wasn't.

Chapter 15: Light the Way

As soon as breakfast was done Lily hit the training ground with a renewed determination. Every blade stroke was getting smoother, her foot work faster, and her draw on her bow getting stronger. Lily, for better or worse, was part of the Hunters and the Hunters were going to part of the war. A war she would be ready for since there was no other option. Noir had stopped by to see her before he left to complete the quest he started, and she had never seen him prouder. He had simply told her to strengthen her body, will, and mind; since by the time he came back it would be time to strengthen her powers.

Time was something she refused to waste. She was pushing herself to the brink but not enough to kill her. Her hands were sore and stiff and her finger calloused, but she didn't care. Her aim was improving, she had even split an arrow earlier, now she was just making sure it would be consistent. It somehow felt wrong to be a nine year old working out how to make sure her arrows found their razor tipped way into the soft squishy bits of creatures that were trying to eat her; she dismissed it with a sigh and sheathed her knives. Time for a bath before lunch and then back to stamina practice. She was proud to say that she was able to keep a good pace going for a mile or so but that was hardly anything when she thought about it. By this time she had reached her and Thalia's tent since she shared with her while Noir was absent and snagged a change of clothes. Before she left she noticed something on the dresser.

It was a feather, no doubt from Noir judging by the black and white/platinum coloration, with a note that said, "Save for the future." She was skeptical about it but then again Noir said he would start her not lead her. She took it gently in hand before carefully braiding it into her hair. She was thankful Noir had taught her after much begging. She could still hear him whining about how she wouldn't need him anymore if she knew how. With a small smirk she walked down to the river for her bath.

After the whole lather and rinse routine she laid floating on her back enjoying the midday sun. It led her to think about what would be her mother's domain. Day. As in the sun? All the time before night? Certain aspects of the day as well? She huffed and simply laid back absorbing the sun light. Focusing on the warmth before it started to well inside her.

She stopped cold. Where had the warmth gone? She looked around only to feel a slight trickle of in near her face. She grabbed the feather and could feel the heat within.

 _Save for the future_

She grinned before starting to channel as much warmth as she could absorb into the feather.

Hopefully it wouldn't burn up by the time she was done.

 **P.O.V Change: At CHB, Third Person**

Noir showed up just in time for Percy and Annabeth to leave the Big House after explaining what they had seen so far in the Labyrinth. Incidentally, also in time for them to walk face first into his flank.

 _"_ _Dudes. I'm ten feet of pure black wolf on a clear day, you could_ not _have missed me."_

Percy shared his playful grin while Annabeth simply shook her head. "We need to get back to the Labyrinth Noir, and this time we can't be walking around blind."

 _"_ _Chill kiddo. I know the frustration has got you seeing_ RED _, but like I said. I can't alter the fate of this quest without dire consequences."_

It didn't matter. Percy had stopped listening at those two words. 'Seeing' and 'Red'. He interrupted Annabeth's glaring with a statement she never liked hearing, "Guys…I have a plan."

There was a knowing sparkle in Noir's eyes, " _Good, cause unlike some people"_ *cough* Annabeth *cough cough* " _I like your ideas."_

The grinned they shared would've scared anyone.

"Oh boy…" was all Annabeth got out, before they suddenly weren't at camp anymore.

-Line Break for Effect-

Rachel Elizabeth Dare had seen quite a few weird things in her time. From the odd spear wielding snake lady roaming the streets of New York's Big Apple, to massive 8 foot men wielding flaming balls all squished on a bus. What she did not expect to see was the strange green eyed boy that had tried to bisect her with a bronze sword suddenly standing in her flat with a monster wolf and a grey eyed blonde.

 _"_ _Nice digs cuz._ "

She did the logical thing and screamed.

It did take a bit for her to calm down, by which she means she fainted after the wolf turned semi-human when Percy said he was making her uncomfortable. Introductions were made as was a proposal.

"Rachel I know this is gonna sound crazy-"

"Crazier than a werewolf?"

 _"'_ _Scuse, I'm polymorphic, not a shifter."_ As if to prove a point he changed to an owl, then a jaguar, next a condor, then a pangolin, and finally (just to mess with Percy and Annabeth) a platypus before reverting to semi-human.

Percy shuddered before continuing, "We need your help on a quest."

Noir smirked, Annabeth looked like she was ready to tear her ears off, and Rachel. Well… she tried to maintain a straight face. Didn't work. Rather her face was a myriad of emotions. Too bad she didn't get a chance to settle on one.

 _"_ _Well look at that!"_ Noir said in mock surprise, " _We're behind schedule! How dreadful! We simply must be going!"_

Nothing further could be said as the group appeared back in camp, right in front of Chiron who jumped sky high at their appearance.

Everyone was pale and staring except for Noir who was, of course, grinning like a maniac.

"What a pretty pony…" Rachel murmured before fainting once again.

 _"_ _Am I terrible for finding this amusing?"_

An elbow to the ribs answered the question for him.

-Throw Down, Ho Down, Time Skip, on the Low Down-

Once everyone was packed and ready, Noir blinked them back to where they started the quest. In the dank tunnel of the Labyrinth, Percy let Rachel take the lead.

"Let's try something before we head to the workshop. Let's find Grover and Tyson-"

They were suddenly in a smaller tunnel looking down at a sleeping Grover and scuffed up Tyson. It wasn't long before everyone (including Noir) had been crushed in a hug. They tried to wake Grover to no avail until Noir shifted to humanoid and conjured a plate of enchiladas. He wafted them beneath Grover's nose, causing the goat boy to shoot straight up.

Annabeth didn't join the laughter, favoring a glare at Noir, "And you didn't just warp us places before because?"

Noir shrugged, " _This, more or less, doesn't mess with the set course of Fate. I have leeway in smaller matters, but timeframe and such I can't touch. Certain events_ MUST _happen. I already explained to Percy, if I so much as keep you from tripping when you were supposed to, it'll be all our heads. Honestly if you think I'm joking."_

Power boiled the air around them and melted the stone they stood upon. Laughter soon followed as the Cheshire smiles started appearing on the walls. All spewing something that forced Percy to start drawing on his powers. The voices were goading Noir to slip up.

For his response Noir simply pulled every last trace of power back into his body causing each and every smile to dissipate. The questers were trembling ferociously at the display of power and the _mouths_ appearing all over the wall. One had even licked Grover, who was now cowering between Percy and Annabeth.

 _"_ _You see? Not a, "No! Please spare me!" He wants me to do it. They all do. This is facing a hydra Annabeth. Cut off one head, and in this case, another 7 will take its place. So forgive me if I'm not tossing supernovas as peoples' faces or ripping them off with bloody singularities. I have power, but unlike most, I know how and_ when _to act. And I'll have you know, now is not the time. Or are you willing to lose the war over what is comparably a game of rock paper scissors?"_

The look he shot Annabeth was sharp enough to split atoms. In fact it probably could if he wanted, but the message was delivered. Annabeth had joined Grover in cowering behind Percy while Rachel and Tyson had taken a _generous_ step back.

 _"_ _Good. Remember that fear, it'll be your guide away from_ fatal _mistakes. Patience children. The war hasn't started yet and it won't be for another little while, don't invite unnecessary turmoil as we wait. Rather prepare for what's to come, for it will be unlike anything_ you _have ever seen before."_

With that he exploded into to Platinum flames. When they cleared, a platinum and black hummingbird had taken his place. He blurred around before settling on Rachel's head comfortably. He fluffed himself once before he closed his eyes, and went to sleep.

Rachel broke the silence, "He's not gonna poop on me is he?"

Heads shook slowly in response before she pulled up her ratty jeans and started leading the way.

As they walked Grover stopped suddenly. He whipped his head around to a tunnel and without another word he took off, danger be damned. Everyone shared a look and took off after him. As they ran it became warmer, more humid, and the air was _fresher_. They came to a halt behind a panting Grover who was eyeing a stone door reverently. Engraved upon it were reed pipes encircled with a laurel crown.

"The symbol of Pan…" Grover hesitantly touched the marking, tracing his finger along the surface only for it to split down the middle. He jumped back as the doors slowly retracted into the wall. They were all hit by the scent of the woods, the freshest air they had ever breathes, and the perfect coolness of humid air. They walked into the cave to find a massive four poster bed made out of branches and curtains of vines. The curtains slowly peeled back to reveal the strangest assortment of animals surrounding what had to be the oldest Satyr ever. Grover knelt so fast Percy thought his knee would splinter the ground.

"My Lord Pan."

The old god smiled tiredly as he gently petted a sabretooth tiger. Percy, Annabeth, Rachel, and Tyson followed suit quickly much to the old satyr's amusement. He chuckled warmly, "Rise questers, I am, nor have I ever been summon to bow to." His voice was rustic and easy, like a wild wind, warm and playful.

They rose save Grover, "My Lord absolutely not! I have searched for so long for you and you cannot expect me not to bow before the hero of the wild." He softened even more if it was possible for the old goat. He went to speak before coughs racked his body, he doubled over for a few seconds before laying back down heavily. His form flickered before solidifying. Grover paled and the Dodo hummed sadly.

"Agreed Dede. I don't have much time left." He turned towards the questers, eyes and attitude hard, "Heroes you must spread the word that Pan is dead."

Grover cried out in outrage but was quieted as Pan raised a weary arm, "I know you wish for me to return young seeker, however even if I did want to I have not the strength. Much of the wild has been lost, and my power along with it. This is one of the last wild places left on earth, and is my death bed. I am-"

 _"_ _Fading."_ Noir was standing there in full blown wolf form. Pan looked surprised before narrowing his eyes.

" _Perhaps you would better recognize this form."_

He shifted to a massive deer. His pupils were X's and his antlers were expansive. Ribbons of light were wrapped through his pitch black antlers. Prismatic crystals sprouted from within the spikes of the antlers, casting a myriad of colors in tune with the ribbons. His massive hooves came to pinprick tips as platinum outlined his massive legs. The ground rippled beneath the tips of his legs and he inclined his head. A pulse of energy roared through the room. Everything was bristling with life, flowers sprouted from the ground around him, and the rock above the bed cracked and water poured forth. The twin streams flowed to opposite sides of the room and poured into pools as massive crystal shards erupted out of the walls, each casting light off the pools illuminating the roof in a spectrum of colour.

Pan's eyes widened before the smile that broke out across his face threatened to split it.

"Απεσταλμένος της Ζωής. My friend. It has been centuries has it not?"

The questers, save Rachel, translated as Emissary of Life.

Noir seemed to smile, well as much as a deer could anyway, " _Calypso said very much the same dear friend. It pains me to see you so, I apologize for not visiting before a time like this."_

Pan shook his head, his smile never failing, "It is not problem old friend, though I will not be bought so easily with chocolate like she was." He let out a hearty laugh as Noir somehow managed to look sheepish as a deer. He devolved into more chest racking coughs as Noir's face fell. He sighed deeply.

 _"_ _It seems that time will never be on our side. I believe this is the end."_

Grover was outraged he yelled and screamed that this couldn't be, that Noir could save him, that he would lead them to repair the wild. He only stopped short at the sadness in Noir's eyes.

 _"_ _I cannot interfere with the set course of Fate."_ The words fell heavily in their minds. The distaste and rage almost palpable beneath the sadness. _"It is time to let go of that which cannot be. And it must start here. Grover, satyrs have searched for Pan for ages on end, their belief alone is what is anchoring him to the world. If I am correct then without your kind he would have faded long ago, and more than likely it was him who told Thamus to announce his death. The refusal of the satyrs has simply left him here weak and in pain, and therefore it must be you that releases him of this world. It must start with you."_

Grover looked horrified. He was trying to form words but it wasn't working. He met Pan's sad eyes and closed his mouth. Tears flowed freely as he steeled his resolve and set his jaw.

"I-I-I release you."

Pan smiled one last time before he took a ragged breath. As he exhaled his form faded to dust which split into smaller parts and entered the body of each of the questers, a significantly larger portion entered Grover. When it was over, Dede hummed something happily and fell to dust along with the other animals. The bed started to wilt until Noir slammed a hoof into the ground. The branches exploding into pink blossoms as they formed a makeshift tombstone. Red flowers formed the shape of reed pipes and the crystals began to vibrate. Noir started to sing. This time in the voice of the wild. Sounds much like rivers flowing, leaves crinkling, and winds blowing wove together forming a haunting melody of lamentation.

No one knows how, but Grover joined the lament, singing mush the same providing a welcome soprano to Noir's vibrato. The tune carried and echoed layering over itself, wrapping the questers in a somber peace much like nature before brightening in a celebration of a life well lived. By the end, those who had not sung were in tears and on their knees.

 _"_ _May you rest spirit of old. Find your peace in the world beyond and may those you have placed your faith in carry on your legacy. The Wild shall live, in soul and life. By my word as the First, Life shall run rampant."_

Reality rippled as Noir swore his oath and Grover straightened. He looked older, more serious, more confident. He stood tall, all trepidation erased from his countenance. He knew what he had to do, and he would execute it to the best of his ability and beyond.

" _Grover Underwood."_ Grover looked confidently at Noir, " _This is a mantle not to be taken lightly. Much the same as we war for survival you will war for the protection of the wild places left on this planet. This will be no place for weakness for in nature only the strong succeed. Are you prepared to bear the weight of the Wild?"_

For his part Grover didn't back down at Noir's hard gaze, "I am."

Noir softened and nodded. " _Then the rest is up to us."_

With that said he shifted to a falcon and settled comfortably on Annabeth's shoulder.

 _"_ _Let's get moving."_

It wasn't an order but no one disagreed.

-Line Break!-

They found their way back to the crossroad easy enough, getting farther ahead is where problems arose.

They had already trekked for a good thirty minutes and settled down for a rest as Noir of course whipped up another meal for them to share. However, they soon learned to be more expecting of dinner guests. A bronze blade had found it's way beneath Annabeth's neck as she went to sit.

"Well well well. Hadn't even thought to spare a plate for me now did you?"

All eyes shifted to see a demi-god with an eye patch, he was leading a squad of dracnae, and they were caught off guard. Regardless, Noir blurred into action, jumping diagonally and catching the edge of the blade with the top of his shoes and drawing it away from Annabeth's neck. He landed on his hands, but spun sending a lightning fast heel towards the demi-god's neck. When just about everyone thought this kid's shoulders would need a new ornament the kick stopped. Noir's teeth were gritted as he flipped back to a standing position, the growl that escaped his throat practically spelled out his displeasure.

The demi-god's smile threatened to split his face while the questers looked horrified.

"Noi-"

 _"_ _Don't start! I can't interfere with the set course. This has to happen and it is taking all my will power to let it. For better or for worse you must be taken captive at this particular point in time. However, it is not your time to die either. None of your deaths shall come today, but just to be sure."_ His hand lashed out at insane speeds drawing the tiniest line of blood from the demi-god's cheek, but cut a 3 meter, foot deep gouge in the wall. Veins were prominently displayed on his outstretched hand as platinum flames played at the tips of his fingers.

 _"_ _Change their Fate and I put an end to yours."_

Everyone shivered at the tone and ferocity of Noir's promise. It couldn't be a threat, he would follow through regardless of the consequences. After that Percy stepped ahead of Annabeth and let the demi-god lead the way. He was happy Annabeth was safe for now, but the seething rage boiling in Noir's gut was palpable as every step he took cracked and melted the stone they trekked on.

This was going to be a long walk, and very awkward walk.


	15. Chapter 16 & 17

**A/N: Hey peeps ya boy CG back again with another double chapter update! (excited applause) Thank you Thank you! Just felt that Ch.16 by it self was a bit short and kind of ends on a cliffie so because of that I decided to be nice and give you guys some reprieve. Anywho with that outta the way pre-pear (teehee) for the next Chapters of Once Awake!**

 **Disclaimer:**

 **Me: Zhu Li do the thing!**

 **Zhu Li: CasualGryphn does not own PJO or HOO or LOK, he owns his OC's and original story. All reference also belong to their owners and not him. Too bad he might actually have a girlfriend if he did.**

 **Me: -_-) Thanks...I think**

Chapter 16: Shift

It was in fact a short but still awkward walk as they came upon a grated entrance which swung open for them as they approached. They entered into a coliseum type arena, which was unfortunately in use. They watched horrified as a centaur was sent flying, landing awkwardly on his flank with one leg twisted at a grotesque angle. His cries of pain were ignored as the giant he was facing stepped up to him and the cheering crowds quieted. All head turned to the main box that held another giant in a loin cloth and Luke Castellan. It was Percy's turn to growl as the giant smirked and gave a thumbs down. The other challengers gave a vicious smile while the crowd roared. The poor centaur was busily trying to crawl away. He didn't make it far as his opponent brought his foot down at speed. There was a sickening crunch and the centaur faded to dust. The crowd roared as the winning contestant was led out.

The giant in the stands laughed heartily. "Thank you Castellan for bringing such great entertainment to my arena!"

Luke gave him a tight smile, "Perhaps you now allow us passage through your arena? Lord Kronos would most definitely reward you heavily."

He looked thoughtful before shaking his head, "Perhaps, but first I want a proper show. One that will make the dead themselves cheer!"

Luke scowled while the arena exploded into yells. The questers took in why. All around the walls of the battle field were skulls. All kinds and hundreds of them, stacked and layered on top of each other. It was sickening.

"Ah yes, well if it isn't my little brother." Percy sent a glare that would have turned Medusa to stone his way. He simply smiled.

"I have no idea what you're on about, but I am no brother to you by neither blood nor choice." The dead seriousness of Percy's made Antaeus's smile falter before it came back full force.

"Of course we are brothers! I am Antaeus! Son of Gaia and Poseidon! Lord of the Arena!" The spectators roared their approval as Cheshire appeared next to Luke, smiling his signature smile at the group.

The growl that tore its way from Noir's throat at his appearance shook the questers' ribs in their chest. Unfortunately the guard they were with was also close and shivered at the power tingling about his _prisoner_. He wisely took a step back while Antaeus took the spot light.

"Leave my brother but cage the others." Percy's hand flew to Riptide before they were surrounded by dracanae soldiers all wielding spears. The other questers were led towards a gilded bronze cage except for Noir who glared defiantly until a dracanae put the spear point to Rachel's throat and he entered the cage after. One dracanae had the wise idea to prod him forward and he whipped around and bent the spear point to face her.

 _"_ _One misstep."_ His voice silenced everything, _"Just one. And I will bend you till you break."_ For emphasis a jolt of power shot through the bronze spear reducing it to flakes and splinters as the energy eroded it. Needless to say Cheshire's smirk waned and the rest of the guards backed up.

Cheshire scowled before he spoke, which still wasn't pleasant regardless of him now speaking English. His voice was rough and throaty and his accent warbled the words.

 **"** **Do not indulge the puppy. He cannot act unless the balance shifts."**

Most looked relieved at the prospect but the way Noir's hands burst into flames didn't exactly put them at ease. He calmed himself and sat back, still glowering something ferocious at a wall. It started to legitimately bubble and steam beneath his gaze causing some shudders before they shifted back to Antaeus.

"Regardless, we still have a show to put on! Send in the next challenger!" The demi-god with the eye patch stepped out from beside Percy and approached the other end of the Arena.

"For out next fight, Ethan Nakamura versus the great Perseus Jackson."

"It's Percy you lunk head…" he muttered as Riptide sprung to life in his hands.

He turned his attention to the now named Ethan, "You don't have to do this."

He didn't hesitate, "Oh but I do." And charged. Percy growled and met his over hand strike with a horizontal swipe. Their blades met in clash of sparks. Percy spun away and landed a solid shot to Ethan's ribs with the flat of his blade. Ethan hissed and jumped back before jabbing at him and whirling for slash at Percy's legs. Percy jumped backwards and rolled beneath another horizontal blow. He lashed out with a kick that caught Ethan in the same place the flat of his blade had met. He came to a stand as Ethan held his ribs.

"Stop this while you can Ethan. I don't want to hurt you." Ethan growled in response a picked up the pace. His blows started coming faster and more desperately as his irritation made his form sloppy. Percy found an opening as he over extended, slapping Ethan's blade into the ground, and spinning before ramming Riptide's pommel into his temple as he fell forwards off balance.

Ethan's eye rolled up in his head and he collapsed while Percy pointed Riptide at Antaeus.

"Enough games. Get down and face me yourself. I win, you let us go. You win, do whatever you want with us. Or are you a coward?"

Antaeus looked pissed before he smiled unnervingly. He jumped over the wall and into the Arena as the crowd roared in anticipation. Percy took a stance while Antaeus simply strolled about smirking like he owned the place. Percy took a second to face palm at his thoughts before he dashed in while his opponent was distracted. Antaeus still towered over him at a good 15 feet but Percy used it to his advantage as he slid between his legs and swiped at his calf. Antaeus roared in pain as sand started to pour form the wound.

It didn't last long as the same sand crawled up his leg and resealed the gash. Antaeus began laughing.

"This is the power of the favored son of Gaea! As long as I hold her in my heart I am immortal on the Earth! How she will enjoy me adding you to the tribute!"

At Percy's confused look he gestured to the skulls around the arena. "This is my offering to my parents, hundreds of souls will earn you quite a bit of power." Percy scowled when he got over his disgust. He couldn't imagine Poseidon ever _wanting_ anything like this. He mustered up his fiercest glare and sent it Antaeus's way. Percy was going to wipe that smirk off his face, immortality be damned.

Percy took off at a dead sprint towards Antaeus hoping he could possibly knock him out. He let Tyson's shield expand on the fly and jumped over Antaeus's swing. He slid again but this shifted his weight forward and jumped with all his might. He led with his shoulder before twisting with his body. He let the force wind up and with impeccable timing, he gave Antaeus the back hand of the century. The shield connected with a resounding bang that sent the giant sprawling.

Percy had a second to smile before Antaeus was back on his feet, an angry sneer on his face.

'So much for knocking him out.'

He backed up a step as a spear shot out of the ground into Antaeus's hand. He frowned and charged anyway. He intended to get within his range and make the spear useless while harassing him as much as possible. Hopefully an idea would hit him as he ran. He ducked, dodged, and deflected. Rolled, parried, reposted, and used every veritable skill in his repertoire. He was getting frustrated when Antaeus's words hit him like a freight train. He froze and was backhanded back a couple meters but that was perfect. He looked up to the ceiling and grinned.

Percy charged Antaeus as he brought his spear down in an overhead swing. Stepping back Percy let the point smash into the ground at his feet before running up the shaft towards Antaeus's head. Doing precisely what Percy hoped for, Antaeus tried to throw Percy off. Using the upwards momentum He shot to the ceiling and grabbed onto one of the chains hanging from the roof of the arena. He placed his foot in a hook and stood up straight.

"Look at you Antaeus! You've barely landed a hit and form up here you look twice as dumb for all that mass. I mean seriously. You have what? 10 feet on me and you still can't kill me? Lord of the Arena? Please! You call this a fight when I'm the only who's doing any work! Gods now wonder you don't have a lady on your arm! Not willing to put in any effort."

He tsked as Antaeus roared in outrage and took the bait, lunging for the lowest hanging chain he could find. As he climbed Percy hopped around. Antaeus was too intent on climbing to rip his head off _to notice_ him swinging back behind him. Percy used Riptide to cut through some of the anchoring before lashing the chains out at Antaeus. He flailed and slipped but stopped short when a hook snagged his loin cloth. Percy didn't let up and continued to throw chains his way further tangling the giant. He even went as far as to swing from one to another before tangling them together. By the end, Antaeus was practically gift wrapped and the crowd was panicking.

Percy brought Riptide up as he stood on Antaeus's back and let it fall.

 **Luke P.O.V**

As I watched Percy's sword rise I knew it was over. But Antaeus had to win! We needed passage and even with the string it would be useless without this shortcut. It would buy more time for the Camp if we went around and doing so could very well be our downfall. Not to mention killing off the prophecy child would be a big bonus.

I slapped the lumberjack on the shoulder, "DO SOMETHING!"

He looked panicked before resolved. He lashed out a hand as Riptide fell.

We both watched as the crescent of energy streaked towards Percy before the lumberjack paled and made a grab and pull motion.

It was too late. The energy blade redirected itself but into the chains that were holding Antaeus. They shuddered and snapped as the energy collided with them, leaving the competitors weightless before gravity snatched at them both. I was wondering why Mr. Lumberjack was pale before Platinum chains bound him on the spot.

 **Everyone P.O.V**

The cage holding the rest of the questers was melting as platinum flames slowly ate away at the bars. Noir stood tall and proud, eyes ablaze with untold power.

" _The Set course has been altered. As the abider of the contract I request my right to action."_

Three woman appeared in white robes, each wielding a sceptre of a sun. One ablaze, One eclipsed, and One burnt out. The Fates spoke in unison, "The scales have been shifted. The balance has been thrown. As the abider of the contract we grant your request. Free reign till balance is restored, now it's their funeral to be mourned."

They vanished as Noir's flames started inching up his legs and arms.

" _Now, it's my turn."_

With a smile that could kill. He vanished in a blur.

 **A/N: See? Coulda left you hanging right there ^^^ See how I tossed in another chapter so you wouldn't have to wait? I think that deserves a review. Well you should review anyway but still. No cliffy should make you happy.**

Chapter 17: Break

Noir reappeared just as Antaeus swung at Percy with his spear. He caught the blade and crushed it in his left hand while his other lashed out like a viper. His body followed as he delivered an earth rending uppercut, launching them into the air. Everyone watched in awed silence as he used his outstretched limb to spin and ram a kick into Anateus's ribs. It connected with an atrocious crack and sent Antaeus flying into the box he had been overseeing matches from. Noir touched down before vanishing again, reappearing midair in a vertical split, with his forehead touching his knee.

He let loose an axe kick that blazed a scything crescent of platinum which shot down into the stands vaporizing monsters and severing Antaeus's right arm. Using the momentum he had still had form the axe kick, he ducked and spun; sweeping Luke off his feet after passing beneath his sword. Luke and Noir spun in tandem before Noir stood abruptly and the heel that had tripped Luke smashed into his ribs, sending him flying to the opposite end of the arena. He landed with atrocious crash that left him gasping for air but still alive.

Noir didn't really bother to admire his handiwork since he was already upon Antaeus. He seized the hand he hadn't severed and shoulder tossed him towards the center of the arena again. He took off after him, shattering the stands further as he ground to a halt just ahead of Antaeus. He was crouched low, one leg bent at the knee the other straight out behind him. His hands were clasped together at the other knee, and when Antaues got within range they caught with platinum flames and rose in a blur. The double handed blow caught Antaeus in the jaw with the force of a 1,000 pound JDAM.

Antaeus was crushed into the ceiling where he was previously hung, imprinting into the stone above. Noir wasn't done it seems as he reached out a splayed hand and made a grasping motion before pulling it back. Platinum and Obsidian swirled spikes shot though his shoulders, hands, knees, and feet. Antaeus roared in further pain as he was detached from the ceiling and strung up once again when the spike tips shattered into hook heads. Platinum chains held strong as he struggled and swore away.

He quickly went quiet when he saw Noir's hands ablaze. The flames were slowly piecing together the most gorgeous gauntlets anyone had ever seen. The fingers were elongated and sharp as a nightmare, the plates were overlapping looking like the petals of flowers each inscribed with a set of black runes that formed a border for each silver petal. Finally in the center of each, acting as a housing for the tip of the previous petal, was a gemstone. Each was a brilliant Turquoise and followed the shape of the petal, and glowed with power.

The formation stopped at Noir's elbows and he held his hands outstretched at his sides while Antaeus was trying to bargain for his life. Promising power and as many "pleasure slaves" as he could manage. It only succeeded in making the sneer on his face turn to a snarl. With a roar that shook the very souls of those still present Noir exploded upwards in a black and silver blur, burying both gauntlets in Antaeus's stomach palms facing outwards.

 _"_ _May you rot before you return for were it not for the fact that it is not your time I would Fade you."_

With those parting words, Noir roared again and slowly, painfully _tore_ Antaues in half; the giant himself screaming the whole way as bones, skin, and muscle was forcefully ripped apart. It finally ended when the Noir landed and the freshly bisected pieces of Antaeus melted to dust, pain till clearly etched into each half of his face. The chains rattled and clattered, a haunting melody as Noir's ears elongated. He sent an echoing howl to the ceiling, and with another spine rattling ripping sound his arms split into four.

He was down on all sixes now, four gauntlets dripping power, and ten tails whipping angrily as he turned to a panicking Cheshire. His grin split his face, _literally_. The smile drew all the way back to the hinge that connects his jaw to his head, and with two layers of fangs, he lunged just as Cheshire broke free of the chains. Cheshire tried to clap his hands together for a shock wave to keep the beast back but Noir had already caught them. With another motion the 2 arms that weren't occupied rose, two blades shooting out of the front of each gauntlet. They fell just as quickly removing both of Cheshire's arms at the shoulder. Both were tossed behind him as Noir's leg rose, folded against his chest, before it snapped out. It sunk into Cheshire's gut, folding him in half around the limb, before launching him in and through the nearest wall.

Noir's smile was very pleased but still terrifying. Most of the remaining monsters had grabbed Luke and Ethan Nakamura before escaping. Percy and the questers were watching awe struck before pieces of the roof started to fall and the cavern shook. Too much structural damage. Noir looked quite miffed to not get to finish Cheshire but accepted it regardless. He huffed and shifted to wolf form, which retained both the additional limbs and elongated ears, and trotted over to the questers. Everyone quickly mounted as larger parts of the Arena started crumbling. Noir wasted no further time and took off towards the nearest exit and kept running as the tunnel started to collapse around them.

"Hang a left! There!"

Noir took the left Rachel pointed out and ran harder as the tunnel started to widen and the cracks started to slow. He skidded to a stop just outside of the white smoke cloud that had followed them in.

"We're almost there. It shouldn't be too much further." They looked about and realized they were in a pretty choice location for a rest and Noir must have been thinking the same thing.

 _"_ _A'ight people. We have time to kill. I'm hungry as hell and there are no 7/11's down here to grab a snack. So off ya go and Imma make food."_

They all slid off while Noir shifted, simply clapped his hands together, and summoned up a picnic spread. Peanut butter and Jelly stacked high for Tyson, Enchiladas for Grover, an organic avocado and black pepper sandwich for Rachel, a chicken salad sandwich for Percy, and chicken parmesan for Annabeth. He didn't stop there and whipped up a meat lover's pizza, pork paella, and a pot of gumbo. The questers attacked with gusto while Noir threw in some punch, lemonade, and blue cherry coke to garnish.

It was absolute bliss after the hell and a half they had to experience. No doubts it would've been worse if Noir hadn't helped. The amount of thankful they had to be to the wolf was unbelievable. They all turned to Noir who was inspecting his 4 gloved hands with amusement. He was leaning back on 2, while one was on a bent knee, and the last held a slice of pizza. The face splitting jaw scheme was gone along with the spare set of teeth, though his canines were still pretty terrifying. Once everyone was done eating they were kinda staring at Noir awkwardly. He finally payed them mind after dusting his hands.

 _"_ _Don't give me that look. He was a dick and deserved it. You expect me to be this powerful and not the see face and story of every single one of the lives lost in that place? Bullshit."_

His tone was the darkest any of them had ever heard from the normally sarcastic and bright wolf. Most shuddered at the way his voice dropped and lowered their eyes. His sigh was remorseful.

 _"_ _Still, you have my apologies. Rage isn't typically something I let control me but…"_ he trailed off. Suddenly they were back in the arena. Watching. Demi-gods and heroes being torn apart. Limbs torn form bodies. Heads rolled. Ribs shattered. The horrid darkness and ragged last breaths of their predecessors. Screams of horror, terror, and pain.

All of them. Every last life, every last skull, yelling its story across the ages directly into their ears.

"ENOUGH!" Rachel roared.

The visions cut off abruptly. All eyes were swapping between Rachel staring heartbrokenly at Noir. Tears streaming down her face. Noir's expression was stoic but his eyes betrayed him. For the first time they recognized the ancient sadness that dwelled within him alongside the positivity he lived. They could see the war between the 2 sides raging within him. The display was lost as something closed down on it as he broke eye contact.

 _"_ _Sorry."_ Was all he said. He shifted again and padded off towards the wall. He walked right up it, curled up in a giant ball of black on the ceiling, and went to sleep. The images were haunting as Rachel sat down with her head between her knees. Annabeth walked off murmuring about getting wood for a fire while Tyson and Grover joined Noir in the world of Morpheus.

"Is this what it's always like? The life of a Demi-god I mean."

Percy looked up but Rachel still had her head buried in her knees.

"I just- I couldn't believe it. I saw you standing over Antaeus ready to finish that fight after almost getting crushed and skewered and broken. Then suddenly you were about to die all over again." Her voice cracked ever so slightly.

"Don't feel too bad. I'm about to die most of the time anyway!" he got a strangled cough/laugh from her. "But we get used to it I supposed. My mother named me after Perseus hoping I would share the same happy ending he got but it's still a long path. Feels like only yesterday I was fighting the Minotaur and then running off to the underworld to save my mother. We still fight on for the sake of the good of the world. Regardless get some sleep. I'll take first watch."

 _"_ _Don't bother. You're about to collapse too no matter what you say. That fall with Antaeus took more out of you than you're admitting. Both of you need rest. I'll get Annabeth to join you as well when she gets back. Now_ _ **rest**_. _"_

The word swayed them, the influence it had reflected on the force it was delivered with. More than soon enough they both were on the ground sleeping peacefully.

-Line Break-

When they were awoken by Noir, he was back to his normal-ish form. He kept the extra hands after punning that they would, "Come in handy!" they were now walking down the only exit they had. It was long and annoying but it was still the right way. They stopped when they came to a room with three different tunnel entrances. Tyson, Rachel, and Noir froze. Each in front of a different tunnel.

"This one." _"This one."_ "Not this one."

All three voices overlapped and they shared a look.

 _"_ _There's something down this tunnel. Something we need for the battle. Something that was supposed to have been with you for the battle before I arrived. It would have originally tipped the scales but now it will help us without shifting the balance."_

Tyson was looking straight ahead. It smells like oil and fire this way. Like the forges at Camp."

The workshop. Had to be. Everyone looked at Rachel who was pale as could be.

"Not this way. There's something…Ancient. Powerful. Evil." Noir sniffed at the tunnel and wrinkled his nose.

 _"_ _Lizard. Big one at that. And Eucalyptus."_ Percy paled as well

"The Garden of the Hesperides." Annabeth nodded in agreement. Noir squinted in the direction but said nothing.

"I have to go down there. It must be Luke's entrance from Mount Orthyrs."

Annabeth shook her head vehemently, "You can't go alone."

 _"_ _She's right. It might not be a good idea."_

Percy didn't back down. "I need to go. Maybe find out when they plan to attack. Cause some havoc. Something!"

Noir sighed knowing they weren't going to win this argument. Annabeth on the other hand glared something ferocious and handed him her cap.

"At least take this. It'll help keep you hidden."

He took it and slid it on his head, vanishing into thin air, "I'll be back soon. Worst case I meet you back here and then we hall ass to the workshop."

Everyone nodded, even though Rachel looked a little scared. Noir on the other hand was squinting down the passage way.

 _"_ _I'll be back."_ No one could say anything about it as he took off fast enough for the wind pressure to snatch at their clothes. Annabeth simply sighed as both of their main powerhouses took off at warp speed.

"Boys." She muttered to Rachel. She got no response. She turned. Rachel was gone too.

'Gods damn it'

-LINE BREAK!-

Noir wasted no time whatsoever. He roared down the tunnel at a ridiculous pace. He stopped at a boulder that was wedged in the entrance to…someplace. He didn't know what but there was a pull in his gut coming from the other side. He felt something creeping up behind him and whirled. His hand(s) lashed out, splitting the massive viper that was trying to devour him in half. He winced briefly as he thought of Cosmos but dismissed it just as fast. He had other things to attend to. He turned back to the boulder and placed his hands on it.

His fingers from all hands were splayed outwards. He pressed in and clenched each hand into a fist, crushing the entire rock into powder. He nodded at his handiwork and stepped through the opening. He was in a cell. He frowned at the bars. With a quick motion he cut a square free from the bars, catching it, and setting the cut out quietly on the ground. The tug in his gut intensified as he heard sobbing and a language he had hoped he would never have to encounter again. Using his gauntlets would consume too much power, so he settled for four bronze Claymores. Something just completely right about a Celtic Broadsword.

He stepped out into a cell block and followed the speech and crying. He approached quietly and saw precisely what he was expecting. Kampê stood guarding what had to be the last Hecatonchires. Noir growled low in his throat. He recognized Briares on the spot and readied his claymores. He stalked forwards ready to reduce Kampê to a fine paste (One that would likely go well with chips) before his instincts roared in his head.

He couldn't kill her. Yet at least. Thankfully that didn't stop him from swatting her with four heavy, five foot bronze blades.

While Kampê was learning to fly without using her wings, Noir had already set to work on Briares's cage. He planted his claymores in the ground and grabbed the cage. He shot a wink at a teary eyed Briares before he ripped the bars and their concrete frame clear out of the wall and hurled it a Kampê who was struggling to her feet. She crumpled once again, this time beneath concrete and steel, while Noir hauled his old friend out of the hole he had to call a prison.

Noir didn't have time to back up before Briares's hundred hands all swarmed him trying to hug every bit of him. He laughed heartily when Briares put him down, smiling happily.

 _"_ _Briares my friend! How long has it been? Centuries? Millennia? Somewhere around there right?"_

Briares nodded excitedly, "Very long Archon of the Alchemists!" Noir actually winced, 'I have way too many aliases' he thought to himself.

 _"_ _I apologize friend. We do not have enough time for a tear filled reunion."_ The point was further emphasized as Kampê burst from beneath the rubble she had been buried under. She screeched horridly and spread her dragon wings to full width. Noir swung his head and roared a challenge in response, cracking the walls and floors around him. Briares was simply trembling in fear of his jailor.

 _"_ _Go Briares. It is time for you to fight! There is no room for cowardice in the future child. Reclaim your strength and meet me at Long Island Sound. I have sent word to Poseidon to give you sanctuary in the mean time."_

Briares scowled slightly, "How can you be sure-"

 _"_ _He will or he will lose something he won't be able to re-attach easily."_

Briares paled at the thought of his old mentors punishments and nodded quickly. He barreled for the nearest exit while Kampê screeched in outrage. Her attempt to give chase was cut short as two bronze claymores slammed down in front of her, drawing an X across her path. By the time she moved to head around them, Briares was already out of sight and Noir was two handing the remaining broadswords in between her and the door. The heat of Noir's glare could've melted Pluto in seconds from light years away. She flinched but didn't back down.

The feral face splitting grin that followed made her thoroughly regret that decision.

-P.O.V Switch-

 **Percy P.O.V**

I ran quickly towards the end of the tunnel, only slowing down when the scent of the sea and eucalyptus started to become more prominent. I arrived on Mount Tam, 20 yards from a reforming Mount Orthyrs.

"Fool! Didn't you hear me the first time! One cut will sever your soul from your body!"

"I don't think you were talking to me then. Either that or I wasn't there."

"You weren't at the volcano?"

"Wait. There was a volcano?"

"Nevermind…"

I watched as Ethan Nakamura and the Telekhine banter back and forth about the presentation of the scythe to their Lord. Something about Ethan being the last piece they needed for the plan. It clicked. Kronos must have a body formed already.

I gave them a wide birth and sprinted past them, taking the steps to the palace two at a time while Atlas grumbled and groaned beneath his burden of the sky. The doors were open and there were no guards to be seen anywhere. Ignoring it I dashed as quietly as possible up to the sarcophagus. It was as obscurely hug as I remember it. 8 feet tall, much too large for a regular person. I pushed the thoughts out of my mind as I heaved the cover off, letting it fall with a great whoosh!

What I saw inside made my skin crawl and my heart stop. Luke was lying there. Eyes closed and finger interlocked over his stomach. The only thing out of place was the massive hole in his chest, right where his heart should've been. I was too shocked to move and by the time I gathered my wits I heard voices. Invisible or not I hid behind the nearest pillar I could find, just in time to see the procession I had passed amble in.

"We must be- Look! He must be awake!"

The Telekhine dropped to his knees instantly, groveling about his unworthiness while presenting the scythe. Ethan kind of coughed awkwardly when Luke/Kronos didn't even twitch.

"He must be close to waking then…Demi-god! Pledge you allegiance to our Lord that he may rise and smite our opposition."

Without thinking I stepped forward in protest. "Ethan don't! Kronos will not bring recognition or benefits to anyone. He cannot build an empire! All he can do is destroy!"

Ethan sneered, "And what exactly do I owe the gods? What have they done for us when we die constantly for their 'immaculate rule'. What have they done for their children besides abandon them to the cruelty of relatives and death by literal hounds of hell? Nothing! They have done nothing for us just as I will do nothing for them! I renounce the gods and pledge my loyalty to Kronos! May Olympus burn something spectacular!"

I watched in horror as a small blue wisp rose from Ethan's feet and flew into Luke's chest; filling the hole and completing the picture like some sick jigsaw. As if it couldn't get any worse the eyes that gazed upon the room weren't Luke's. They were a hard gold that glowed with harsh light as they surveyed the occupants.

A twisted smile carved its way across Kronos's face as he hopped right out of the coffin. He flexed his finger smiling before he outstretched his hand and the scythe flew into it.

His harsh voice would haunt my dreams for years to come.

"Perseus Jackson. We meet at last."

 **A/N: Yeah I lied sue me have a cliff hanger. Maybe not the best but still whateva! Thanks for sticking with the story so far and as always hope you's having as much fun with it as I am. Any suggestions are always welcome, I would love to know what you guys think and how this is so far! Till next time CG out!**


	16. Chapter 18

**A/N: Welcome back people to another chapter of Once Awake! *scattered clapping* A'ight so maybe I'm taking my time with things and what not but do you really want me to just start murderizing things right off the bat with now story what so ever? No you don't, if you did you would've tossed it in a review. I said it before I'll say it again DROP A REVIEW ABOUT WHAT YOU DO/DON'T LIKE AND WHAT YOU WANT TO OR DON'T WANT TO SEE. Ain't that hard. I would know I review all the time. Anywho to Matt who said I skipped the meeting with Nico: Well duh!**

 **This is a FANFIC if everything were the same that wouldn't be the case. I'm changing things up and doing some stuff that I wanted to hear and see. Uncle Rick did awesome don't get me wrong but there were things I wanted to see and you guys no doubt wanted to see. Regardless, shorter chapter to prelude the upcoming conclusion since we're almost to the end of BOTL. I will be continuing through the entire series while I have time this is more for fun and enjoyment.**

 **With that in mind ENJOY THE READ! I'M REALLY TRYING PEOPLE!**

 **Disclaimer: Y'all know the drill I own my OC's and plot but PJO and HOO belong to Uncle Rick.**

Chapter 18: Well Shit

 **Percy P.O.V**

I would love to say that I wittily called Kronos out for being cliché and sounding like a cheesy Bond villain, but the truth is I hauled ass in the opposite direction. I didn't miss a beat as I javelin threw Riptide into the telekhine's chest and booked it for the exit.

Three steps in it felt like I was walking through syrup. Kronos approached with a lazy smile on his face, twirling his scythe as he approached.

"Fitting that Luke called this weapon Backbiter. Now that it is properly reforged it shall indeed _bite back_."

I was mentally panicking thinking this is where my life ends when I saw something blue fly past my field of vision and nail Kronos in the eye. He exclaimed in pain but it sounded more like Luke than the gravelly ancient voice of the Titan Lord. I didn't stick around to find out as the time spell broke. I grabbed Rachel and Annabeth, who had just stepped in, and ran like hell itself was following me.

"KILL THEM!"

Hell was definitely following me now.

Thankfully whatever had distracted him had caused enough of a delay for us to already reach the Labyrinth when the order was given. We made it to the crossroads, grabbed Tyson, Grover, and Noir, and sprinted down to the workshop. It wasn't long before we came to open bronze doors emblemized with a Greek Delta symbol. Today was just getting worse because it appeared that Daedalus was cornered by an Empousa, a Hellhound, and 2 Laistrygonians. Thankfully Noir knew better than to be shocked and sprinted right into the squad.

 _"_ _HI-YAH!"_ And with that, 2 very surprised giants were kicked out the windows behind Daedalus. The Hellhound followed next when he grabbed it by the neck and tail and tossed it out into the wide open space that was the sky. The Empousa, I recognized as Kelli, was smart enough to duck when he tried to grab her but was promptly nailed in the back of the head with a bronze shield. She unceremoniously crumpled to the floor while Rachel flicked her hair out of her face and dropped the shield.

"I have had enough with Mythology for a nice long while."

Noir smirked and tossed a saucy grin her way, _"I must say you're coping quite well. And if I'm honest that was kinda hot."_ She blushed and huffed before turning away as Noir snickered.

All eyes were back on Daedalus as a huge hellhound popped out of a shadow beside him looking ready to defend its master when it realized there wasn't a threat.

The questers, save Noir of course, drew weapons before dropping them and their jaws as she rolled over for Daedalus to scratch her belly.

 _"_ _Well that's something you don't see everyday…"_

All eyes shifted to the polymorph with four arms, wolf ears, and ten bushy tails.

 _"_ _I'm just saying…Jeez."_

"This is Mrs. O'Leary. She's my companion. As for you, why have you sought me out?"

The Annabeth stepped up to address Daedalus while Noir shifted to wolf form and started playing tag with Mrs. O'Leary. She promptly gave up when he pinned himself to the ceiling. He smugly waggled his tails while she whined at Daedalus who, at this point, was trying his hardest not to be surprised. It really wasn't working.

"You're too late. By a couple hours actually. I couldn't give you the String even if I had it." He continued to justify his decision but no one had heard.

They all shuddered. That was why Luke wanted to get through Antaeus, he already had the String. All he needed was the passage.

"Honestly I was just about to be a smear since he betrayed me. Too bad if he had. The Labyrinth is connected to my life force. Ending me would collapse the Labyrinth."

"Instead hundreds will die and the world will end in flames for your selfishness! You had wished to redeem yourself but all you've done is seal your fate!" Annabeth growled out.

"I couldn't have said it better myself."

Minos walked in flanked by ghosts and holding a bound Nico Di Angelo. Noir actually snarled in distaste at the judge, and he flinched in response before stepping back. It was just enough space for me to dart forward and pull Nico towards us before the undead squad recomposed itself. I cut his bonds and he removed his gag, "Sorry, I was trying to see if I could get any info by trekking through some of the tunnels in the underworld when this clown jumped me."

I nodded and pulled Riptide out as Daedalus backed away, pale as a ghost. The irony of the situation was exceptional.

"I do not understand how you've cheated death for so long Daedalus but now I will get to drag you down to the underworld and toss you into Tartarus myself! Capture him!"

` "No! Return to the earth!" Nico's command only slowed the legion while Minos cackled wildly. "They will not obey you! You have no power while I stand! I am the Ghost King!"

Nico growled and his eyes darkened, he glowed the slightest bit black as he raised his Stygian Iron blade. "I am Nico Di Angelo, Son of Hades Lord of the Underworld and commander of the legions of the damned. I AM the true Ghost King! Now, RETURN!"

He plunged his blade into the ground splitting it like butter. Cracks extended from the point where it stuck snaking towards the legion who began to scramble for the exit. In their commotion they knocked over a few vials of Greek fire which promptly began to engulf the room. They were sent screaming back to Hades while we were left in a burning room. Perfect.

"Guys!" Everyone swung to Rachel who was clipping on a pair of bronze wings by a rack of spares. We wasted no time getting our own pairs before turning to see Daedalus shadow traveling out with his hellhound. I cursed under my breath and turned as the fire closed in.

"How do we know these even work?!" Nico yelled over the roar of the flames.

"We find out." With that said I launched myself out of the window, praying Zeus was in a good mood.

-Line Break!-

 **3** **rd** **P.O.V**

The questers flailed like fish out of water before Percy finally straightened out and spread his arms wide. After some experimental flaps and some mimicked motion from his compatriots the group was whooping and laughing, spiralling through the sir doing barrel rolls and loop de loops. A though hit Annabeth as she was cruising on an updraft. She banked sharply before flipping upside down and rolling over to be on Percy's starboard flank.

"Where's Noir?!" She called over the wind. Percy frowned before looking around briefly. His eyes caught something and widened dramatically as he quickly pulled away. She followed suit on instinct and had time to watch a black and platinum blur scream past. It roared way up into the sky before its wings closed in and fell back to earth in a steep spiral. When it was finally back into view she recognized Noir in his massive owl form, cruising as silent as a shadow with them.

"Show Off!" Percy yelled. Noir chuckled and pulled ahead, forming a smooth slipstream for the questers to trail on.

Eventually they had to find a place to land when the adhesive strips began to shed feathers, Unlike Noir their wings weren't flesh and blood, then again Noir was an energy entity so maybe he doesn't really count. When Noir finally started to take them down they were farther away than they had expected.

 _"_ _Denver? That's good distance ya got right there. But now we need to get back to the camp. We need to warn them and I can feel the chapter close coming soon. This battle is upon us and then the war."_

The questers' expression remained serious until Rachel started giggling uncontrollably. Noir who was just in front of them was now delivering a full ten tailed tickle torture to the red head.

 _"_ _Now quit it with the downcast looks. We'll go, we'll kick ass, and then we'll relax with a couple glasses of lemonade by the beach before we pack it up Kronos's ass. Sound good? A'ight break! Go team Olympus!"_

For effect he even conjured two pom-poms. Everyone fixed the smiling hybrid with a deadpan look. Rachel led the way past him first still blushing but lightly glaring.

"We'll use the Labyrinth and cut them off. Hopefully we get there before them."

"Can't Noir just blink us there?"

All eyes turned to him as he tossed the pom-poms over his shoulders and shook his head.

 _"_ _However, there is a nearby entrance. Rachel you manage it from there. Everybody ready?"_

Nods all around.

 _"_ _So let's go."_

They found themselves standing outside of an abandoned mineshaft. Noir quickly cut down the boards covering it with a swipe of his hands, revealing a Greek schemed brick lay tunnel.

 _"_ _A'ight RED, you're up."_ She nodded and took the lead at an easy jog. It wasn't long before they saw the light at the end of the tunnel.

 **A/N: Like I said shorter chapter and build up to the main battle. This is like dubstep people, a good drop needs build up other wise ya get straight up base. You need ya undertones, snares, traps, effects, and additions. bit of patience is all I'm asking. Anyway see ya next time.**


	17. Chapter 19

**A/N: I got bored so have another chapter! This'll be the first chapter of 2 for the war. Afterwards wll be some bridging fluff between BOTL and TLO of some character development and what not. Any who, time for more sarcastic wolf fun!**

 **Disclaimer: Seriously is there like, a button or something that automatically adds a statement that says I don't own the stuff I don't own? No? Whatever, Rick owns PJO and HOO I own my OC's and original plot.**

Chapter 19: Let Loose

They made good time and popped back up through Zeus's fist. They quickly made their way to the Big House to find Chiron while Noir split off towards the water. Percy had asked him to accompany when he had declined saying, _"I have a friend to introduce."_

He promptly took off in owl form before transforming into some kind of serpent and diving head first into the Long Island Sound without so much as a splash. They dismissed it as the wolf being his typical cryptic/show off self and promptly entered the big house.

"Chiron! We need a War Council ASAP!" Chiron registered the serious tone and didn't even bother to correct the rudeness of the order. There were more pressing matters, not to mention all are equal on the battlefield. Especially when fighting for the same cause.

Not 10 minutes later the head councillors plus Artemis, Thalia, and Lily were in the council room. Lily chose to address the elephant in the room, or rather the possible lack thereof.

"Where's Noir?"

She was answered when she was engulfed in a black blur.

 _"_ _I knew it! I knew you'd miss me!"_ She obliged and let her self be snuggled as the Wolf hybrid held her against his chest. She almost freaked when she saw the additional limbs but managed to keep it under wraps, unlike Silena who jumped a mile and a half in the air. The table shared a laugh at her expense before Noir shot her a wink and a joked about being good with his hands and called the meeting to order. He spent the rest of the meeting being not so subtly glared at by Bekendorf and keeping his eyes off a blushing Silena for Bekendorf's sake.

Once the news of the approaching battle was delivered he had them quickly set off towards the forest while he handed out instructions like he'd done it a million times. Then again for all they knew he probably had.

 _"_ _Hephaestus cabin! Traps, as many as possible around the entrance that way we can push them backwards into a group. Get the Hermes cabin to help place them and if the Hunters want to they can help too. Athena cabin! Strategic placement of the Apollo and Hunters for maximum damage and minimum repercussions. Demeter cabin! Work with the Vanguard that will be the Ares cabin and use the forest against them. I want roots, walls, and snares. Funnel them into the Ares cabin spear wall. Percy in particular I want you in front of the main force ready to cut through. Don't worry, you got this. If Cheshire or any other surprises pop up I'll handle it. Good? Great. Now for the final addition. Briares!"_

Out from the Sound they all watched with baited breath as the giant stepped forward. He rose looking like a tree with his hundred hands doing all kinds of different things. Tinkering with spare pieces of metal and playing rock paper scissors. One pair even seems to be teaching another pair sign language.

"The last of the Hecatonchires…" Chiron said in awe.

 _"_ _Yeah but he'll be working with Poseidon down in the forges afterwards. Win-win situation really."_

They all nodded and broke apart each cabin reporting to the designated station.

Noir spent the next little while assigning the Aphrodite cabin to aid in the hiding of traps and snares, making sure the campers that would be acting as archers would be properly camouflaged, and even having them experiment with knife throwing and assassination. Every now and again he would bump into Silena "by accident" whenever Charlie was around. They could all see what he was doing since everyone at the camp knew Beckendorf and Silena liked each other. It was still amusing but jealousy inducing since half the girls (and some guys) were quite jealous of the purposeful tender touches Noir was throwing into the mix. It was really clear, either Charlie took action or Noir would swoop in for the kill.

In between his teasing sessions with the Aphrodite head camper he was helping augment the Greek fire grenades. No one could be disappointed or even mad at him as he quickly zoomed around helping anyone and everyone he could. Armor and weapons were being sharpened at ridiculous speeds. Daggers, arrows, throwing knives, spear heads, and even the odd halberd were being spewed at the campers who were finding them better balanced than their typical weapons.

Most of the girls couldn't even stay mad as he sent warm smiles and friendly words their ways while he provided killer techniques and weapons to the guys. As hectic and grim the situation was the campers couldn't help but be happy. They were together and regardless of unclaimed or claimed they were working together, having fun together, and they were living together. It was nice and they couldn't wait for the war to be over. They all just wanted peace and they hoped the ridiculous hybrid would stay. He hadn't been in their lives long but he'd made a great impact. He was their older brother they'd never had. As for Noir he hadn't had this much fun in ages.

Silena and Beckendorf were adorably oblivious, Katie Gardner was shy and would most likely be the next person of his interest, Connor and Travis would help with the prank wars, the Ares cabin would be fun for a workout, the Hephaestus cabin would let him burn some energy (literally), Percy would be hilarious fun whenever they went to the beach, and the Hunters were his personal refuge to do nothing and play around with. Lily was his sweetheart and that wouldn't change anytime soon. He even considered messing with Artemis, melting her frozen heart would be beneficial to all. Plus she was adorable when flustered so that would always be fun. He chortled quietly as he helped map out he positions of the forces before the battle. Hopefully this would blow over quickly enough that he didn't have to bother giving up the full advantage he gained from Cheshire's fuck up.

 _"_ _Show me the scales of balance."_ In his hand two floating baskets appeared. One was sky blue with hints of white while the other was blood red decorated with black splatter. In the middle was a three headed woman. One head had no eyes, the next no mouth, and the final no ears. In one hand a sword and in the other a scroll. Upon were inscribed the laws of the First and the consequences of deviation. He held it up to eye level and watched as they tipped in favor of the red basket. He judged it to be a 45-55 split in the enemies favor. He whistled low, that fight with Antaeus was more prominent than he had expected. He still had good lee way for action and could use it however he pleased.

Most of the campers that saw his smile shivered. They only hoped whatever he was planning would be good for them and not for their enemies. If only they knew how much fun he would have tearing Cheshire's face off. It only caused his smile to broaden and the campers took take a generous step back as he approached the war council. When he got into the Big House rec room a couple of the head councillors swallowed nervously while he toyed with the scales in his hand. When he finally realized he was scaring people he let the scales dissipate and his smile to reduce to a 'frendly' smirk.

 _"_ _Sorry, had some…ideas for if or when Cheshire gets here. They'll be in the least…"_

He licked his lips with lidded eyes, _"Entertaining."_

There was a collective shudder (no one knew if out or arousal or fear at this point) before they finally put the finishing touches on the battle plan and placements with Noir's help. Tonight would be the start of war.

-LINE BREAK OF VICTORY-

The Campers and Hunters were in position quickly. The plan was known and everyone was ready for anything and everything they could or would throw at them. They all just hoped that they wouldn't be facing everything they had to throw at them.

Noir picked up on their apprehension. He didn't blame them at all. He had been around since before time had existed and would likely be there long after it ended. Not to mention the other dimensions he technically existed in… But that's irrelevant. He stood at the forefront of the main force, just behind the Ares cabin's shield wall/wedge. Percy had a tight grip on Riptide as they waited and he simply had one set of arms behind his head and the other set in his pockets. Both pairs were clad in his gauntlets and out of every single person there, he was more than likely the only one giddy like a schoolgirl. True his face was stoic and emotionless but inside? He was anxious. True he hated war and yada yada but any prospect of destruction made his blood sing. He blamed it on his domains not his nature.

On the note of singing he could feel a tingle of response. Cheshire had answered his challenge. Both of them loved to expend power, both of them loved the feel of bones snapping beneath their knuckles, both needed this expenditure.

It was unfortunate they were on opposing sides, especially since they had been friends before-

Huh? Those weren't his memories. Which meant… The boss? Already? No… it wasn't. His consciousness was returning. Slowly but surely. He began to grin. This expenditure is _exactly_ what he needed.

He felt the cold kiss of a blade on his neck and quickly dispelled his bloodlust. He looked over with a raised eyebrow at Percy who was panting with a dark look in his eyes. He blinked twice before they widened in horror and he stumbled back. Noir lashed out and steadied him and shot him an apologetic smile.

 _"_ _Sorry. I really rather have to be careful with my emotions. Proximity to…lesser existences can have some adverse effects on their behavior. Don't worry about it though. Won't happen again…well…after this battle maybe…"_

Percy nodded and retook his stance. He was trembling. He felt all of the anticipation in Noir to tear into the enemy. He could feel the macabre glee Noir felt when he crushed monster like flies. The scariest part? His normal disdain for murder had gone out the window. Monsters or not he would and had never taken pleasure in ending lives. Now? For that brief moment? He longed for it. He had hoped the Minotaur was back so he could tear off his arms this time around. Beat the beef head to death with his own limbs. Hear his pitiful-

 _"_ _Stand ready!"_ Noir's voice broke him out of the trance. He shuddered involuntarily in excitement. He'd ask Noir to rip the feelings out of him afterwards. He just hope his didn't lose too much humanity in the process. He sighed heavily. Immortals make life difficult.

Noir's voice echoed in his head. _"Why thank you! We try."_

He turned to snap out a response, but was interrupted when the Pile of Deer Droppings exploded.

 **P.O.V Shift: First, Noir**

Hurry hurry hurry hurry hurry! Bloody monsters were taking to goddamn long! Ugh! Just gotta reign in the excitement. Just bring it in. They already hit the Greek fire, the pit falls will be next, then the snares, and then the thorn wall before the wedge. Deep breathe in, and out. I raised my foot and brought it down sending a shockwave through the area. I could feel the opposition approaching. Sprinting right at us.

 _"_ _Tell the Demeter cabin to be ready to drop the wall. The signal will be a shockwave."_

I didn't wait for a response before I shot into the air. Arching gently over the wall I could see the monsters coming fast. I kicked out and shot towards the earth bringing down a monstrous axe kick. The shockwave tore forward stumbling the assault and scattering their forces. The wall dropped behind me.

 _"_ _Enjoy the meet and greet!"_ And I was gone again as the Ares cabin's wedge slammed into them full force, spears bristling. Dracaena wailed and Hellhounds howled as they were reduced to dust. I stood behind then blinking from one opponent to the next as the Wedge continued its march. Percy led the remaining soldiers on foot straight forward while the Demeter cabin formed walls on either side of us slanting away. The funnel would let us spread out as we moved forward and restrict enemies should we need to retreat.

I ended up next to Percy for a while as we fought side by side while Annabeth flitted in and out of sight. Grover was helping us push with the nature spirits and Clarisse and her cabin had broken up the wall and was leading the charge. All in all it was going good. Till Cheshire ruined the fun.

He popped up and even waved before vanishing. My smile faded. Where the hell was my epic battle for god's sake?! I whipped around just in time to see him knock a Hermes camper off balance as he fought. I swept in and blocked a spear aimed for his neck while he righted himself so he could get back in the fight. A yelp alerted me to an Apollo camper falling from a tree in which Cheshire stood. He blinked out while I blinked in to catch the kid. And so it continued. He endangered and I rescued. Most of them weren't supposed to die and despite that it would shift the scales I couldn't just resurrect them. Death had its own rules and I'd rather not deal with the Fates. So I was locked out of combat. And I'm pissed about it too.

 **P.O.V Shift: 3** **rd** **Omniscient**

Campers and Monsters alike were suffering from migraines as they watched their respective secret weapons essentially play a game of murder tag around the battle field. Only difference is that Cheshire wouldn't blink back to save any monsters Noir tossed off balance when he saved campers. Despite Noir being literally everywhere and the hard strategic positioning of the campers the battle was being lost on their front. There were just too many Monsters and Noir couldn't exactly annihilate the entire force of the wave without sacrificing lives; which was something he refused to do. There was a small cheer when Daedalus arrived with an automaton squad and Mrs. O'Leary and joined the fray with the campers. Grover let loose a horrid screech causing a panic within the monster ranks. Daedalus and Annabeth fought together while Percy and Tyson took on Kampê. Noir had growled when she had popped up, pissed he didn't get to finish her off since he was busy with Cheshire. Regardless of his efforts, Noir could still hear the screams of rage and anguish as campers' siblings and friends fell. He could physically feel the lives being lost and he could feel Cheshire's joy at the campers' outrage.

Noir's teeth (both sets) were grinding as he pulled an even younger camper out of the way of an oncoming spear. He could hear Cheshire's unrestrained cackles as lives were snuffed out. Unbridled rage was starting to take over his previous grim excitement and he'd be damned if he didn't unleash it this day.

 **With Percy**

Percy and Tyson fought like hell. Literally. Tyson had yoinked some of the explosive cannonballs the Laistrygonians had once thrown at him and was unleashing a flaming onslaught that was keeping Kampê on the defensive. It was a miracle and a half that he wasn't singed but he wasn't going to question a good thing. He and Kampê exchanged heavy blows, the bitch had even disfigured the shield Tyson had gave him before the chariot race. He scowled and ripped it off while dodging a scimitar before whipping it at her head where it bounced off with a loud clang! She screeched in outrage before being nailed in the face again by Tyson with a cannonball. Howling in rage she began to grow. From 8ft to 10, then 15, then 25, then-

CRUNCH!

Dust settled about the massive boulder that had landed on the winged monstrosity leaving behind mangled scimitars, which was all that was left of the jailor of the Heckatonchires. Briares roared his triumph and continued to pelt the army as Tyson and Percy turned to dive back into the fray, only to stop when a very familiar shriek pierced the air.

 **With Annabeth**

Despite how much she might have loathed Daedalus for betraying everything she had ever expected of a great child of Athena, she had to admit he was a master with a blade. His long sword flashed and danced through the air, knocking weapons aside while she closed in and finished off the monsters. She would have complained that it felt like they had fought together forever but when in war everything goes. However, she couldn't help but notice how every scream and injury sustained by those around them seemed to be weighing on him. His swords strokes becoming more firm with every scream, more brutal with every drop of blood, more blood thirsty with every fallen demi-god. It wasn't enough.

The Labyrinth simply poured out more monsters to fill the gaps. He steeled his resolve as a spear launched Annabeth's knife into the grounds. He kicked a fallen spear into the Dracaena, tossed his sword to Annabeth, took the spear lunge for her, and pulled the Dracaena closer as Annabeth swung turning the monster to dust as she cried in outrage.

The last things he saw before his passing was Thanatos smiling sadly and Cheshire looming over Annabeth with a heavily curved sword.

 **With Noir**

Noir had heard the scream recognizing it easily. He recognized the disgusting projected feelings of macabre glee as he saw Cheshire looming over Annabeth as she knelt beside a fallen Daedalus. He felt the familiar Khopesh bury itself in his shoulder rather than Annabeth's neck. He felt the Labyrinth collapse, cutting off all enemy reinforcements, and he felt the leash loosen at the Fate's command. He saw Cheshire rapidly pale. He felt the dead silence that was imposed as his most gruesome smile carved its way across the normally kind features of his face. He felt his canines lengthening and pressing into his lips. He felt his second set of teeth moving in tandem with his first.

 _"_ _You swung first."_

 **A/N: Welp I promised longer chapters so have 3K+ words! They'll prob get longer still so stay tuned for more Titan $$ whoop!**


	18. Chapter 20

**A/N: Yo mah peeps! Notha update Brothas and a long one at that. 6K+ so ya can't say I didn't deliver. Forewarning the next chapter will be some fluffy interlude between BOTL and TLO so feel free to skip it BUT it will include back story and shenanigans so it will be a good bout of entertainment before I dive into TLO. With that said enjoy the read and hope ya have fun. Review if ya please. I'm challenging you to leave a three word review. just 3, describing how you feel about the story so far. Anyway with that outta the way...**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own PJO or HOO. I only own my OC's and plot, everything else is Uncle Rick's**

Chapter 20: Assault

The Hunters had seen Noir unleash hell before. Nothing prepared them for the true extent of his ability.

 _"_ _GO TO THE MOON!"_

Or his immaturity apparently. It still did nothing for the ungodly uppercut that sent Cheshire flipping like a coin 30ft into the air. In a blaze of platinum the khopesh imbedded in his shoulder burned away to nothing. However the flames didn't stop. In fact another crest of flames burned its way out of his other shoulder as monsters and demi-gods alike backed up. His gauntlets expanded up to his shoulders capping them and then stretching across his chest. The Platinum armor formed a dragon scale over his torso while his hair lengthened. It grew down to his back and farther into his eyes as platinum plating covered his neck. There was swish snick and it covered his mouth as well leaving only his eyes visible. His lower half remained unarmored as he placed one foot in front of the other and stretched his arms back.

In a blur he spun and delivered a round house that rivalled a meteorite strike to Cheshire's falling form.

 _"_ _HAVE A NICE FLIGHT!"_

The shockwave cut a line a meter deep and 5 meters across in the ground around the immediate contact area. He landed crouched and exploded after Cheshire's flying form. Where he had been standing cratered and shattered. The longest slabs speared out of the ground forming a mantle. Noir must've been exceedingly annoyed as many monsters found themselves impaled upon the ends of the earthen spears. With a roar Percy rejoined the fight and the battle began anew.

By the time Noir had caught up to Cheshire he was back on his feet in the middle of a trench his face must've dug after the rough landing. He roared in outrage and met Noir's next blow with one of his own. The world shook where their fists met and the ground shattered and cracked. Noir swept his elbow outwards deflecting a straight and followed with a cross. Cheshire bounced it over his head and aimed for an uppercut that Noir caught. He swept upwards in a high kick that Cheshire grabbed. Before he could jump and spin into another roundhouse he was thrown back in the direction he came from. He flipped and landed on all sixes only to a catch a kick to the chin that sent him tumbling. Noir rolled with the blow and jumped. Cheshire's low kick swept under him as he somersaulted over the jab that followed and dropped a double hammer kick that broke Cheshire's guard. Cheshire jumped back, barely avoiding the tips of Noir's gauntlets as he swiped them vertically. Cheshire landed in a crouch across from Noir. They both inhaled sharply, briefly ridding the surrounding area of air and stepped forward.

"DUCK!" Artemis roared.

The demi-gods didn't question it and hit the deck while the monsters thought this would mean easy kills. They quickly found out how foolish they were as Noir and Cheshire unleashed their respective roar. The air missiles detonated each other in a grand explosion. The shockwave ripped the nearest monsters to pieces while the lucky ones were tossed like ragdolls.

Cheshire raised a sharp wedge of earth that split the wind around him while Noir's simply made a vertical slashing motion that split the oncoming shockwave about him. He quickly spun and lashed out a heel kick. The resulting horizontal shockwave split the wedge Cheshire was behind. In response he jumped the top and sent out a series of jabs that Noir seemed to phase through. He frowned at the four arms that Cheshire now sported. Both raised their arms in a boxers pose. At an unspoken signal they both started firing off high density air bullets with unholy intensity. Obviously nothing hit as they bobbed, weaved, and countered blows with ones of their own.

The campers stayed low while the monsters scrambled for cover. The smarter ones joining the campers on the ground while more unfortunate ones exploded into dust from stray air bursts that had been dodged or deflected. Noir frowned more intensely at the collateral damage about them and deflected the remaining airbursts skyward. Both he and Cheshire stared each other down before a shift in Cheshire's posture made Noir's eyes widen. He was in front of Lily crushing an airburst in one second, and hammering heavy blows into Cheshire in the next.

There was no longer strategy or care as the blows picked up speed and Cheshire began to crumble beneath the assault. In a panic he ducked a razor sharp, flat handed swipe and dropped all four hand in a hammer blow that blew them apart. Noir apparently had given up on civility and roared at Cheshire who responded in kind. Both jaws opening to ridiculous degrees, revealing Noir's second set of teeth and fangs as well as the living garbage disposal unit that was the inside of Cheshire's mouth. A maw of hundreds of teeth that spun and shredded.

Both smashed a foot into the ground as they stared each other down. Neither monster nor camper rose out of fear of what would follow. Neither of the two disappointed as cracks began appearing about their faces. There was a horrid shattering and both opponents' faces fell off and revealed what looked like a hollow clay puppet. What occurred next was the stuff of nightmares.

From Cheshire's head a smile was seen, before something unspeakable crawled free of his face. The massive dragon snake creature was bright green with purple flecked about it. Hundreds of mouths covered the body of the beast as they laughed maniacally, a horrid haunting sound no one should ever have to hear. It raised its head an opened its jaws, a gruesome mix of a cackle and roar escaped its throat. Six massive, clawed, humanoid hands extended from various mouths and the beast dragged itself up right where it waited. Shattered red sclera and malice filled pupils waited expectantly. They were very much so rewarded.

Rather than crawl out, the entire puppet shattered as two massive black and platinum spattered wings expanded outwards. Noir's torso was the same but he no longer had legs. The massive snake tail's scales mirrored the petal like sheaf of his gauntlets. They were platinum cored and void framed and his gauntlets were the same. The Gauntlets stopped at his elbows now leaving his chest and face unarmoured. At each elbow a blaze of platinum roared into three petal shaped points. All SIX arms were black past that and scaled. It stopped at his chest that was carved with platinum depictions of flames that seemed to be alive. He raised his head, his platinum eyes burning with unspoken power. He threw his head back and roared his response, filled with promise, filled with rage.

Both beasts stood 30 feet apart. Both beasts were 20 feet each. Both beasts charged.

Campers scrambled to get out of the way as they charged. Noir took the first blow when he failed to catch a fist aimed at his head. He did take it in stride though as he spun and slammed Cheshire with his massive tail. Noir must've hit harder since Cheshire hissed and slithered out of the way. He lunged to bite at Noir but he simply responded with a wall of backhands that shocked Cheshire long enough for Noir to grab the nearest arm and rip it away.

Cheshire roared in pain and jumped backwards, lashing out with his tail. It barely grazed Noir's arm but the teeth of the mouth nearest shaved away some of his scaling. He reached out and caught Cheshire by the tail and slung him with a roar. Cheshire splashed down in the Sound and Noir rapidly slithered after him before taking to the air. Cheshire burst out of the Sound shaking off the water before inhaling deeply. Noir saw this as he closed in and began inhaling as well. Cheshire had begun first and therefore finished first. That did not necessarily spell out his victory.

As he finished the inhale Noir slammed his six hands together creating a scything shockwave that cleaved the neon green flames Cheshire had spewed at him before he followed up with a tempest of black and platinum. The cyclone of flames flew forward with enough force to push Noir a little further up into the air. It didn't help as two massive jaws slammed shut about his left shoulder(s). He roared in pain and wedged his fingers between the jaws trying to keep the pressure off to no avail. He could hear Cheshire's spare mouths cackling at his predicament. So he improvised and inhaled. And kept going as Cheshire attempted to clamp down. Noir reinforced every centimeter of his expanding chest with his fingers making sure every hard earned gap wasn't wasted.

When he was at full capacity he raised two arms and brought the elbows down in a heavy blow. He then raised the output of the blaze from the plates at the edged. He ignored the heat while he watched Cheshire flinch as the tongues of flame came dangerously near his eyes. It was what he was waiting for. He quickly contracted his chest and forced his remaining arms out wards before jamming the other to back in, widening Cheshire's maw to the limit before tilting it slightly upwards. His opponent realized what was happening too late evident of the week green flames that were flattened beneath the massive blaze that spouted from Noir's throat.

He hadn't bothered spinning the blaze into a funnel and simply packed spearing pressure behind the blast. It shot through Cheshire's meagre attempt to save himself and drove their way deeper into Cheshire's unprotected innards.

The campers and monsters watched in equal horror as black and platinum flames began to leak out of the various wailing mouths on Cheshire's body. It didn't stop as Noir slowly began to tear Cheshire's body in half. The horrid ripping and grotesque shattering of skin and bones. The sizzle as flames ate though bone and sinew alike with horrific efficiency. Cheshire's skin was quickly becoming translucent form being stretched and lit ablaze, turning him into a macabre lantern before Noir gave a grand roar and finally split the annoyance down the middle.

Both pieces were still ablaze, various hands hanging limp as Noir held the halves up by the inside of the jaws. He looked down upon both forces in triumph, licks of green flames flowing from the bite wound over his shoulder as he landed. Dropping both pieces of burning monster he unfurled his wings to their maximum length, spread all six arms, threw his head back and roared his victory to the heavens. The earth shook in resonance as he launched a lingering gout of platinum flames into the air. They roiled into the air before dissipating as Noir turned his gaze on the remaining monsters who promptly scrambled to get as far away as possible.

The campers had one collective thought as he slithered after them, six arms digging furrows into the ground as he gave hellish chase, 'gods have mercy on their souls'.

The gods had heard.

The gods shared the sentiment.

-Line Break-

All eyes were on Noir when he finally stepped out of the forest. All six arms covered in his gauntlets and the black scaling covering everything after they stopped. He had his legs back but had changed his tails to something more serpent like. It was thick as a thigh at the base and was exceptionally long, trailing a meter or two behind him as he walked, swishing lazily back and forth. He had a face mask on that seemed to fold away beneath his chin as he gave a small smirk.

 _"_ _VICTORY!"_ It took second but soon the cry was echoed by the campers. Slowly echoing across the now quiet valley. With a broader smile he dissipated the gauntlets in a flash of flames along with his spare arms and scales leaving him half naked in front of everyone. Quite a few faces went red while jaws dropped, and eyes traced the V lines in his stomach to his loose hanging waistband before he face planted and begun snoring loudly. Glances were exchanged before the campers began laughing raucously. Noir simply smiled gently and actually let himself drift off to sleep. There would be a party, but after a nice nap.

-Time Skip: Next Day.-

Noir woke up in Cabin 8 which was something absolutely unheard of. They had somehow managed to awaken him for the burning of the shrouds, after he had face planted, to which he stood at strict attention. He even augmented the flames to burn his signature platinum and even had them burning higher than normal as if the world needed to know of their sacrifice. He had the last words as well.

 _"_ _6 lives."_ He boomed, " _6 precious members of this camp. 6 wonderful smiles we'll never see again. That was the price of victory. The only thing that needs to be said is do not let it go to waste. Do not let this happen again, and do not for a second believe that we cannot get through the rest of this war without a single death. Make it your goal. Make it your purpose. Fight to survive. Fight to live with those you cherish. Fight so that the next time you see them is when you are old and grey. Fight so when you see them next you can hold your heads high and tell them you lived a beautiful life for both yourself and them. Fight so when next you see them, they can say that their life wasn't worth 100 more. Fight so you can say their lives were worth generations!"_

The crowd was silent before the shout shook the valley.

"WE FIGHT FOR THE FUTURE."

Afterwards Noir had happily left with the fallen demi-gods' thanks echoing in his mind. He was just happy that they got to hear the difference they made and that their friends would carry on their memory while they fought for a future where everyone would live happily. Their warmth had translated to him when Thalia popped up with Lily on her back. He smiled at her and she grabbed his hand and led him to Cabin 8. He had raised an eyebrow at her but she waved him off.

"Lily won't let go until you're with her. Gods knows how hard headed she can be."

"I can still hear you ya know."

Noir chuckled at Lily's tired grumbling and swept her up into his arms, lightly peppering her wish kisses while she giggled tiredly at, swatting at him while Thalia watched on with a smile.

He smirked gently at the memory and pulled the body lying across from him closer, relishing the warmth. Thalia opened her eyes groaning at her bleary vision knowing for a fact she had slept in. Insult to injury it must've meant Lily had woken up before her regardless of the previous battle. She groaned again before a strong arm found its way around her waist pulling her against a warm and hard body. She frowned and turned over finding herself face to face with Noir. She immediately felt her face heating and it only got worse as his eyes started to flicker open. He mimicked her groan and, much to her horror, buried his face in the crook of her neck.

She wriggled trying to possibly escape his grip only for him to growl. The vibrations were right at her throat and she could feel his canines gently scrape against her clavicle when he pulled back his lips.

 _"_ _Just five more minutes Lil's! The power battle yesterday took more out of me than I would like to admit. Not sure if that friggin bite wound healed proper…"_

He continued to grumble against her neck which only further made her want to squirm. His lips were ghosting over the sensitive skin of her neck repeatedly. She managed to compose herself enough to get an inch between them and forced him to look at her. Big mistake. Heavy lidded platinum eyes burned with annoyance as he gazed at her with tired eyes. They widened slightly when he seemed to realize who he was cuddled up with. He moved to let go but ended up yawning, bringing him closer and giving Thalia a close up of the same lips that had been working a terribly tantalizing sensation sonata at her neck. When Noir finally focused he found a flustered Thalia less than an inch away, completely entranced by his lips. He was about to pull away when something stopped him. Moving slowly he brought his hand up to Thalia's chin forcing her to meet his eyes. She noticed the slightest slivers of toxic green. She didn't get to think on it further as his lips crashed into hers.

She knew something was wrong the second it happened. Noir had never shown romantic affection, of any kind. Not even sexual, always claiming everyone on this plane of existence was too bloody young for his tastes, so the fact that his tongue was dancing hypnotically in her mouth was a dead giveaway to the wrongness of the situation. It simply got worse since she couldn't- wouldn't pull away. Her body was moving completely in tune with her desires but not her commands. She wanted to push him away and reclaim her mouth, instead she found her tongue battling with his as her hands wound their way into his hair. Gods it was soft. Slowly she felt her will to fight it starting to fade away. She had no clue what Noir intended to do with her but she could care less. The heat from his hands was starting to settle in her abdomen.

She could feel taut muscles beneath her as he lifted her onto his hips, he sat up and further crushed her against his body. The kiss broke as she gasped and Noir took the invitation to attend to her neck. Her eyes fluttered close as he gently nipped and suckled at her sweet spot. He would bite, then suck, and release before letting his tongue massage and soothe the forming bruise. She knew she'd have hickeys after this. She would where them proudly, just like he would. With that thought she ripped his head away by his hair and bit down hard at the joint where his shoulder and neck met. The growl she got in response she took as appreciation and encouragement, continuing to bite and suck before gently kissing a trail back up to his mouth. As she ferociously met him in another heated round of tonsil hockey when they were woefully interrupted.

"What the hell?!"

Artemis was not happy. Not in the slightest. She couldn't believe that Noir would have dared to take advantage of-

Her jaw dropped as Thalia IGNORED her and pulled Noir in for another quick kiss before he shifted her off his lap and greeted her with a smile. A FUCKING smile. Like he didn't just have his tongue down her Lieutenant's throat. She reared back a hand to drop him only for it to be caught. Noir pulled her into a kiss she neither wanted nor could pull away from. She bit down on his lip in outrage. He flinched back in surprise, but quickly chuckled in response much to her horror.

 ** _"_** ** _Feisty."_**

She finally noticed the change in his eyes. The Platinum was slowly being outweighed by toxic green. She moved to step back but was pinned between his chest and another. She spun only to meet Thalia's electric blue-toxic green eyes and lips. Her tongue was electric as her powers in her mouth. She broke it quickly but couldn't escape as Noir drove his lengthened canines into her neck. She jerked thinking she was about to be drained of everything within her only for heat to start pouring in place of her power leaving her. She gasped and instinctively reached behind her to pull Thalia's lips down to her neck where her Lieutenant eagerly began tonguing at the tender flesh. She was losing it. The heat Noir was pouring into her was staring to pool just beneath her waistline. She didn't need to be Athena to figure out what the build up would lead her to do. Her body was beginning to fight her mind as she arched up into Noir, trying to get closer to his body while one hand kept a firm hold on Thalia's hair as she moved up to nibble lightly on her earlobe.

Artemis made a snap decision. He resolve wouldn't last much longer especially with the warmth of Noir's fingers beginning to trail down her bare stomach. When had his hands even gotten beneath her shirt anyway? She tossed the thought as Thalia's hands began lifting the hem of the shirt. With a massive amount of focus, and an exponential amount more self-control, she flashed them above the lake.

The trio splashed down into the significantly cooler water which seemed to have the desired effect. Noir unlatched form her neck while Thalia quickly broke away looking startled before quickly heading for the surface with a panicked look on her face. Artemis wasn't gonna complain, it was better than the hungry look in her eyes that had occupied her previously. She looked down just in time to see Noir's body thump down onto the lake bed. She broke the surface quickly before diving right back down and retrieving their super powered wolf, regardless if he would not drown anyway. She burst from the lake lugging a surprisingly light Noir, what with the tails and rock solid build and whatnot, to find a red faced Thalia profusely apologizing. She was kneeling and rapid firing apologies which for whatever reason made her chuckle.

Thalia was thoroughly confused while Artemis decided to tease her, "You're surprisingly good with your tongue. Though I do owe you for the bruise."

Thalia scowled before turning even redder. "Fine" she grumbled, "I guess I'm not sorry after all."

They shared a chuckle before turning back to Noir who they should've been receiving their seething hatred, only for them to share a look that meant they knew something was up. They hoped to get answers when he woke up but first they quickly dismissed the small crowd that had formed and dragged him back to the cabin. They had barely tied him to a chair when a groan signaled his awakening. He licked at his lips before scowling.

 _"_ _Cinnamon? When did I have cinnamon?"_ His eyes widened comically when everything came back to him. He saw Thalia and Artemis gazing at him, hips cocked, and eyebrows raised. He groaned louder.

 _"_ _Please tell me I didn't have my tongue down either of your throats."_

"No, you only sank your teeth into our necks." He flinched.

 _"_ _Sorry."_

"Don't be. We presume you were at the least influenced if not controlled. We presume the prior since there aren't very many things that would control you and have you do _that_ of all things when they have an obscurely powerful polymorph as a puppet."

He sighed heavily and fazed through the bindings they had him in, which was no surprise really, and stood. He tugged his shirt over his head where they could see where the khopesh had buried itself in his shoulder along with the teeth marks that encompassed it. Both were tinged a toxic green and seemed to have their own individual heartbeats as vein like tendrils spread out from the area. Noir frowned ferociously before platinum flames erupted out of the marks. The very tips of the flames were tinged with green that seemed to be eating its way back towards his torso.

He growled and gave up the effort as the flames burned away and the wounds thrummed a little bit faster.

 _"_ _Great. He tainted my power. Perfect."_

Artemis and Thalia both looked confused as he snapped his fingers and they ended up before the Olympian council. The gods looked just as confused as Thalia and Artemis before Noir waved his hand drawing their attention to him (and for a few, his chiseled torso).

 _"_ _I can't believe I have to do this but I need a little bit of help."_

Zeus looked incredulous before he burst out laughing.

"PERFECT! Swear allegiance to Olympus and us alone and then you can have whatever you want!"

 _"_ _Nice try but anything that could or would bind me to you would require you be able to gift me as the entrée to the contract something of value equal to what you would gain from my service to ensure the balance of power within the relationship would work in tandem as a partnership rather than a slave service. The First only do binding ceremonies for life servitude should a life have been saved by the benefactor of the contract. Your fat ass couldn't save a helium balloon from floating away. Nice try though."_

Zeus was red in the face while Poseidon fell over laughing with Apollo and Hermes joining suit.

 _"_ _Now let's try this again. I need a little bit of help, or I could just leave you to be devoured by the Titan's forces at the price of all the women in the Greek pantheon and squish both demigod camps just for shits with only a thought."_

Artemis looked horrified at him before noticing the green tinge in his eyes. She waved at an equally horrified Thalia who nodded and walked up to him. He looked curious before she slapped him. It had the desired effect and the green was quickly devoured by the platinum once more.

 _"_ _And that is precisely why. In case you haven't noticed the living power mass attached to my chest I'll point it out."_ A neon arrow popped up pointing directly to the wounds on his chest. The gods sobered quickly. The sign vanished as Noir continued talking,

 _"_ _Cheshire tainted my power with his domain. His is Conflict and Corruption. As you can see violent our burst and unsavory…desires…are the consequence. I can't actually use my powers to burn it away since I don't have full access to the Boss's domains, only a portion. As it were, I need to take in someone else's power to fight it. Particularly power form someone in whose domain Conflict and Corruption can exist in and be combatted easily without being complemented. The power swap will be somewhat interesting since I'll have to transfer back whatever I take, however the nature of the power I return is up to me to determine as long as it is of equal value and portion as the power I receive to combat Cheshire's domains. Good?"_

The gods were slightly baffled by the high speeds of the explanation but understood the gist of it. Athena stepped up to the plate,

"So who will you take from is the question. It can't be any particular domain but would Zeus's domain of Justice work?"

He shook his head, _"Unfortunately not. Justice as well as Sense of Justice can be Corrupted, as well as conflicting ideals of Justice or its interpretations can spawn Conflict. I need a domain in which both Corruption and Conflict can run rampant but still be quelled. Relationships in particular or strong emotions that have a tendency to break through expectations. Areas where one could have a gun to your head and still be able to pull away."_

He sent pointed looks towards Demeter, Hera, Aphrodite, and Hestia.

 _"_ _Only question is what who will be up for it and what power I should swap. However more than likely it'll be a sensation to prevent an addiction, though that might sound the slightest bit backwards. Regardless, very few things compare to the rush of power in your veins along with the sheer notion that nothing is above you. Worst and easiest thing to get hooked on."_

Apparently in his pondering he was letting the sensation seep out unconsciously, the Olympians were quite literally buzzing in their seats. The feeling dropped off as quickly as it had come, leaving Zeus to whimper slightly. Demeter realized that whatever sensation he chose it wouldn't end well for her mentality and voiced her reluctance while Hera quickly followed. Noir cocked an eyebrow as he looked at the two remaining goddesses. Aphrodite chewed her lip and furrowed her eyebrows knowing full well how chaotic her domain could be. Yes it could overcome but it could also cause people to deviate from the "right" path. She met Noir's eyes and shook her head slowly, she wasn't the best choice for this. He turned to Hestia, platinum eyes tinged the slightest green, silently asking her for her assent or lack thereof.

She could feel the hope within him and the hope he bought demi-gods. She was almost ashamed of how long she was taking with the decision. She steeled her resolve and nodded sharply. The Olympians could tell that it took a lot out of Noir to keep the malice from his smile, still didn't keep them from shuddering. After all, he could squash them all, he hadn't really needed to ask permission for anything from them. All he had to do was snap his fingers and the world would be his. They tossed the notion as Noir practically sauntered up to Hestia still grinning. He stopped briefly to wipe the smirk off his face before smiling more gently at Hestia. She returned it before grimacing slightly at the toxic green that was invading his irises. She nodded and changed to an older body, looking closer to 18 like him. She was still shorter than him but the difference was less than a head. Maybe 6 inches, but it was still something.

"So exactly how does the transfer work exactly? Contact? Exchange blood, or Ichor, or something?"

Noir grimaced, before shooting her an apologetic look. _"Artemis already knows what the transfer requires in terms of contact. Though maybe not the sensation on the scale you'll receive it. The effects will be…interesting. Just try and keep a handle on your consciousness, I've never had to do this before. It shouldn't be harmful. Worst case scenario you end up enslaved to the sensation and, therefore, me by relation since I'm the only one who would be able to provide it."_

The Olympians looked horrified while Noir looked sheepish. , _"Like I said, shouldn't come to that. That's just worst case with a 0.099% chance of actually happening but I figured I'd warn you just to be fair."_

Hestia glared slightly, "That still doesn't explain the contact requirements." She motioned to a beet red Thalia and Artemis, "Doesn't seem to be all too… kosher with the way those two look. It wouldn't have anything to do with the hickeys on their necks would it?"

Both were doing their best impressions of tomatoes while Noir rubbed the back of his neck chuckling, _"If it makes you all feel any better I'm only responsible for the one on Thalia. Artemis can thank her Lieutenant for hers, but that's beside the point."_

It didn't look like it was with the way all the gods were staring at the 2 Hunters incredulously while the two clapped their hands over their respective necks.

 _"_ _It'll be a light bite. Slight sting and then the transfer will happen. Just focus on the peace and hope of the Hearth and let it build within you. Then when I bridge our bodies offer it up. I'll receive it and transfer the sensation to you as payment."_

He cracked his knuckles while she took a breath. He slipped behind her and secured a hand around her waist as he began to glow warmly. She opened her eyes when his teeth were centimeters form her neck.

"Wait. What's the sensation?"

 _"_ _Pleasure."_

Her eyes didn't have time to widen as he bit down. The sting made her hiss before her peace began to be replaced. A different kind of heat started to flood her. She was helpless when her knees gave out, she couldn't do anything but be held up by Noir. She wrapped her arms around his neck and he increased the bite pressure, increasing the flow of pleasure that was now flooding her body. Her nerves were firing at warp speeds, all slamming the same message into her brain over and over again.

She was going numb all over and didn't even bother to try to hold in the moans and whimpers that escaped her lips. The rest of the gods watched on in slight apprehension as the eldest daughter of Kronos and Rhea writhed and squirmed around in Noir's arms. Her face was flushed and her pupils were dilating. They saw Noir's jaw clench as Hestia's knees clashed together, a heady moan escaping her lips while her hands tangled into Noir's hair. They all heard the growl that escaped his throat and prayed to whatever deity that Hestia came out of this with her mind intact. Demeter herself could practically see herself on her knees with a collar around her neck, offering herself to Noir just to receive what Hestia was experiencing. She was immensely glad she had declined.

Meanwhile Hestia was fighting to keep it together as the growl rippled through her. The vibrations were pure torture that seemed to spread the searing heat Noir was pouring into her deeper into her core. Her thoughts were starting to go white, all she could hear was her own heavy breathing while Noir's breath seemed to provide the slightest cool to her feverish skin. She wasn't in control anymore, she couldn't care less, and she was digging up as much of her energy as she could and forcing it into him. Trying to keep the torrent of heat he provided flowing into her body with as much force as possible. Darkness was seeping in at the edge of her vision. So close to finishing though, she could feel her peak approaching. She was on the edge, she just needed the push. She tugged harder on Noir's hair, trying to coax him into send her tumbling into a blissful inebriation.

He grabbed her wrists and pinned them to her sides before biting down a little harder one last time before breaking contact.

Hestia wasn't happy with that at all. He had left her at the cliff of euphoria, and she was not going to let it end. She pressed back harder into his body, digging her fingernails into his forearms while driving her hips backwards into his. She began trying to grind against him as hard as possible, trying to get some sort of much needed friction and fast. She could feel herself coming down form her veritable high and hadn't had enough. She whimpered and whined trying to guilt him but his arms held fast. She gave up the emotional appeal and began to thrash and beg. She squirmed hoping to find some way to reach her completion, by her own hands if Noir wouldn't comply.

He seized her hands and immobilized her limbs altogether. She had hit rock bottom and needed to climb fast. She was so close she just needed-

BAM!

The Olympians flinched at the head butt Noir delivered. Feeling both relieved and panicked at the way Hestia laid on the floor cradling her head. They all glared at Noir who watched as the spindly veins of Corruption receded into the source wounds before they too faded. He nodded before casting a sorrowful gaze at Hestia. He knelt and placed a glowing hand on her head. He heard her sigh in relief before uncurling. He helped her stand and they all watched as the roil of platinum dissipate into her typical, warm amber eyes. Once her eyes were back to normal she turned absolutely red and slapped Noir.

"Next time a warning would be nice!" she huffed and flashed out in a column of flame.

Noir stared wide eyed at where she had been, missing a good portion of his eyebrows, before finally speaking.

 _"_ _Ya know. I have the slightest feeling she might be a little bit unhappy with me at the moment."_

Hestia flashed back in before pulling Noir into a heated kiss before disappearing again leaving him with even less of his eyebrows.

 _"_ _Never mind."_ He muttered.

-Line Break-

It actually took them Artemis and Thalia a while to get back to camp what with all the yelling both Apollo and Zeus did at Noir for touching their respective sister/daughter. Noir for his part simply manifested a pair of over ear head phones and ignored the living day lights out of them (oh the irony). Both were practically apoplectic. For the next 10 minutes Artemis and Thalia watched as Zeus and Apollo both hurled lightning bolts and arrows at the wolf who simply stood there head banging and belting out Breaking Benjamin lyrics (Air guitar included) completely unaffected by the two Olympians effort. When they finally stopped, bent over at the hip breathing hard, he slipped off his headphones,

 _"_ _Sorry, were you saying something?"_ He cackled at the way they progressed from red to completely purple in the face before blinking himself, Thalia, Artemis back to camp where he continued to cackle for a little bit longer. Both Hunters were looking down on him where he was wheezing and holding his stomach.

"You done yet?" Thalia inquired. He smiled and nodded. He got up off the ground before Thalia reared back and swung a kick right between his legs. There was a metallic clang before Thalia hopped away on one foot cradling the other while muttering curses. Noir was down on the floor laughing so hard it was silent with tears streaming down his face. Artemis was dumbstruck wondering what the hell happened. When Thalia came back with a cast on her foot and a sour expression half an hour later, Noir had finally reduced his outright guffaws to controlled chuckling though he was still wiping tears from his eyes. He faced down both huntresses without fear. He quickly reached into his pants and pulled out a cup.

 _"_ _Tungsten Carbide. Heat resistant and made of the same material they put on the nose cones of rockets to combat re-entry temperatures when the shuttles return to atmosphere."_

Thalia's scowl intensified before she reluctantly slow clapped.

"Well played wolf boy, well played."

With that she went to hobble away but was blocked by Noir. He winked and kneeled down planting a swift kiss to her injured leg's thigh before he blinked away again. He apparently took the cast too but that was fine since her leg was completely healed. Her face was slightly red when Artemis clapped her on the shoulder,

"At least he didn't bite you again."

Thalia's blush exploded as she recalled the sensation of teeth and tongue before shaking away the memory. She really should've accepted partial immortality after her body had got to the point where hormones weren't her bane. She glared hard at her smirking Mistress.

"Keep this up and you won't be getting anymore tongue from me." With that she whipped around and walked towards the pavilion hoping to somehow quell the not so appropriate hunger that had started eating at her insides with food.

Artemis was completely red in the face and dancing on the line between angry and tempted.

A low whistle was heard from beside her. She turned her head to find Noir upsides down with his legs folded beneath him watching with her as Thalia sauntered away from them,

" _Girls got game. Think she's swaying her hips like that on purpose?"_

Artemis glared, _"You're right. She's DEFINITELY doing it on purpose."_

He blinked out and she threw her hands up in exasperation. She really didn't look forward to explaining the bruises to her Hunters. The only good thing coming out of this was possibly seeing Noir turned into a porcupine via arrows. She sighed heavily. When the hell did being a god become so complicated?

Noir blinked in behind Lily and scooped her up into a hug. She smiled and turned herself around in his grip to hug him back. He set her down where they shared a smile before Lily frowned.

"Noir, there's a bruise on your neck." The wolf actually blushed a bit.

 _"_ _Errrrr….Ummmmm…Yeah I slept wrong-ish last night. Don't worry about it."_

Lily glared at him, " _What? I'm serious? What's with the glare?"_

She could physically see the nervous sweat on his neck and she intensified the glare.

He chuckled slightly while he rubbed his neck before some additional voices pitched in.

"Yes, that bruise does look kinda suspicious. Wouldn't ya say Milady?"

Noir went pale and turned slowly to find a smirking Artemis and Thalia standing side by side in front of the rest of the Hunt.

'Shit' was all he thought before they began to approach.

 _"_ _Okay why don't we take a step back for a second and talk about this like adults?"_

Knives were drawn.

 _"_ _A'ight you know what? I'm always one for being surrounded by women but I just came here to have a little bit of fun and I'm honestly feeling so attacked right now."_

They lunged

He jumped and took a couple quick steps using their heads as a platform.

 _"_ _I'll come back when you guys have cooled down."_

A mass of water dropped on the Hunters leaving then to squeal shrilly at the ice water. 26 murder driven Hunters turned to a sheepish looking Noir. He chuckled nervously.

 _"_ _Parlay?"_

They snarled. He ran. The hunt was on.

 **A/N: Annnnnnnnnddddd That's a wrap! Yeah Thalia, Hestia, and Artemis got a little bit of much needed (though not quite appropriate) attention, Cheshire got literally ripped a new one, and Zeus and Apollo's over protective ways were made fun of. Anyway I already started with the next chapter and I'll try to keep everything consistently above 5K words at least, which means it'll take longer to get up. (hehe) Also I do have to get a job and I have college to worry about so I may not get to this for a little while. Just a heads up. With that said, Gryphon signing off.**


	19. Chapter 21

**A/N: THIS GUY! THIS FREAKING GUY!**

 **Solidercrafter1**

 **^Literally this guy!^ Is the only ONE review I've gotten from the the last chapter and it was half a bloody paragraph when I asked for at most 3 words! Guys, Guys seriously? Whatever. Not gonna bother then. Review if you review, don't even care. However, ya don't see something ya wanted to see? Not my fault. Ya can toss you own comments or concerns, questions and what not at me, and I've said it before, they will be taken into consideration during the writing process to possibly cater to certain desires. But apparently that went out the window so oh well. Any who, sorry for the wait. College is back and so is my lack of free time with it. But here's the next Chapter of Once Awake. ENJOY!**

 **Disclaimer: I really hate having to do this every chapter but I don't own PJO and HOO those belong to Ricky boy and I only own OC's and original plot.**

Chapter 21: Peace (Sort Of)

It had taken approximately 12 hours before the Hunt gave up chasing Noir. They tried everything. Traps, arrows, harpoons, grappling hooks, they had even found a couple of naughty magazines and laid them out over a pitfall upon which he blinked in 20 feet above them and proceeded to laugh at them for a full 15 minutes while dodging arrows before blinking out once more. He had even turned the tables on them with their own traps, some Hunters were tripped into their own snares and hung upside down unable to fire at the laughing wolf due to the skirts they wore. Sure they had shorts underneath but still it was degrading. Others he pushed into pitfalls he'd camouflaged, and for whatever reason, filled with maple syrup. The bear traps they had laid out were all sprung and holding bouquets of flowers, they found their arrows back at the armory all tipped with marshmallows, he even managed to find a device for managing their undergarments. A note had been left reading, "To help with the twists in your knickers."

Noir had once again appeared just to laugh at them before disappearing along with the machine. The only Hunter who had not given up was Phoebe and she was currently encased in a giant lime flavored Jello cube. Noir had come to 'help', by which he meant shave off a bit of the Jello into a bowl, cover it in condensed milk, and then eat while laughing as Phoebe spat curses at him. It was a half hour later when Noir had finished his third bowl of Jello (Lily had joined the fun and had a bowl too alongside Thalia after much pestering) when Phoebe finally called uncle and was blinked into the Pavilion during dinner time.

 _"_ _Do me a solid and shovel her out will ya? Anything ya don't eat toss it for the gods. This was its own reward after all!"_

Noir promptly flashed out leaving a blushing and thoroughly embarrassed Phoebe at the mercy of the (bitter) demi-gods. He then flashed back in,

 _"_ _Any hands anywhere they're not supposed to be will be hands no longer attached to their arms. Capiche?"_

The demi-gods nodded frantically at the glare he gave before he stepped up and popped an overly exaggerated kiss to Phoebe's forehead. She grimaced heavily while Noir chuckled.

 _"_ _Love ya Phoe-Phoe! You always make things fun for me ya know that?"_

She growled. He laughed. The demi-gods began to dig. Phoebe was just glad she didn't need to go to the bathroom at this point in time. That would be about six different kinds of awkward. Little did she know Noir wasn't that cruel. True he was a bit mischievous but never cruel. Except to his enemies. But that's beside the point since it only took about ten minutes before Noir blinked her out of the remainder of the cube. She found herself back in the Hunter's cabin where Noir was extending a hand to her. She scowled but shook it none the less. He was an idiot sometimes but truthfully the Hunt hadn't been mad. Artemis had explained the situation before hand and they wanted to have fun with the polymorph. Despite their frustration of being counter trapped they weren't really complaining. Male or not Noir was helping them have fun. They could read the intensity of the emotions he thought he hid well. They could sometime feel his apprehension and worry for them what with the main war approaching fast and possible replacements to a now deceased Cheshire (they hoped). They just wanted to keep him lively, and in turn he did the same for them.

They hadn't forgotten the rescue mission that had preceded his transformation to humanoid. They still had no idea what had happened after they blacked out and Noir refused to elaborate. He'd always brush it off or flip is hair flamboyantly before jumping into a preposterous tail of ninjas, dragons, evil half ant-half dog monsters that had come to his aid in the time of need before he battled the evil over lord for the hand of the princess he had to save afterwards. Every time they tried to coax it out of him, the story simply got more comical and had even had him popping up in a pink dress once before. With that in mind Phoebe did the most surprising thing possible and pulled him into a hug.

Noir froze, completely wide eyed before he relaxed and gently snaked his hands around her shoulder. He rested his forehead on top of her head.

"Thank you. For everything, whether we've known about it or not, thank you."

A low rumble signaled Noir's chuckle, _"C'mon Phoebe. Don't tell me you've gone soft."_

His voice cracked slightly half way through but he managed to choke it out.

"You sound like a twelve year old." she replied, "So tell me, who's the softie now?"

Noir didn't respond and pulled her closer. He gently patted her head before blinking out. Phoebe smiled before turning back to her cot and lying down. She pulled the covers up to her neck and turned in for the night.

"C'mon girls, we have a wolf to hunt tomorrow and I'm not doing it while I'm dead tired." The rest of the Hunters quickly followed suit. Quite happy they had a friend in such a high place.

-Line Break-

The next day Noir could be seen running around with some of the younger campers on his shoulders. He was a lot more active and bubbly and the whole camp seemed to breathe a sigh of relief. They even had a small soiree when Beckendorf had finally asked Silena to go out with him. Noir had conjured a banner after he asked that read 'Took you long enough!'. The campers had a good chuckle at that. The underlying tension of the approaching war wasn't completely gone but it was something. They had a meeting later since they had gotten word of monster forces gathering and attacks decreasing. It seemed they were gathering and the head councillors plus Thalia were going to determine the next course of action. They had managed to also get word of the Princess Andromeda via sea nymphs that had reported to Poseidon. There was powerful magic keeping it hidden but they would find it eventually. The rest of the time the satyrs were bringing in more demi-gods that were being crammed into the Hermes cabin. Noir had scowled at the cramming before expanding the entire interior. There had been some sweet customizations according to rumor but nothing had come to light. Even with Dionysus and Chiron putting pressure on the wolf who would simply whistle an 'innocent' tune and vanish right before their eyes.

That aside The Hunters had been training at the range when their compatriot popped up. Noir actually looked slightly tired before smiling and yawning. The hybrid had been vanishing every so often. No matter how hard they tried no one could manage to catch him before he blinked out. He had said he had a surprise for them but refused to even give a hint. They were anxious at this point and even Lily's super-duper puppy dog eyes had yielded nothing. Artemis had threatened to castrate him to which he laughed and then turned her into a MAN much to her horror. No one knew how he did it all they knew is that he had snapped his fingers and Artemis had been engulfed in platinum flames. When they had cleared a lithe twelve year old **boy** with auburn hair and silver eyes was looking down at himself in horror.

 _"_ _Now Now Artemis. Impatience is most unbecoming of a young lady. Men are more suited to rash action don't ya think?"_

She had screamed and passed out. He changed her back and walked away slightly hunched over with tears streaming down his face from laughter. Artemis had awoken in time for him to reach the beach. She snarled and exploded after him. They both took off across the water and into the horizon before a pink mushroom cloud could be seen in the distance. Artemis had warped back in wearing a pair of silver capris and a black see through halter top embossed with a silver tree over a sports bra. A note on her forehead read

'Just wait and find out will ya? Until then get with the time! Your outfits are atrociously drab!'

Thalia had laughed until she was engulfed in a silver poof. She came out in a pair of _ridiculously_ short black denims. Her parka was replaced with and extra length black leather jacket and her 'Death to Barbie' shirt had changed to a silver tank top with a black skull on it. The skull looked like it was designed with water paint leaving it streaming down in different areas while silver poured from its eyes. On her neck was a black spike choker and she had on fingerless gloves as well. Her makeup was pretty simplistic but efficient. Her black eyeliner was flawlessly winged and her lips were black. On the back of her right hand glove was an ornate cross like the one on Noir's belt buckle and her hair came down to her neck in a pixie bob. She looked over herself in pure horror before gold lettering seemed to draw itself into existence before them.

'Anyone else want to laugh?' The Hunt wisely kept their mouths shut while Thalia and Artemis swore their revenge to the heavens. It was then they heard a camera snap and saw Noir and Aphrodite standing side by side with a Nikon. Noir grinned and high five Aphrodite.

 _"_ _We killed it."_ And with that they vanished as Artemis and Thalia barrelled past where they had been previous standing. A note popped up in front of them

'I won't be warping around but if you can't catch me before the meeting this afternoon you'll be stuck like that for the next week. Your outfits might change as I see fit. And to the rest of the Hunters. Keep your eyes open. If I trap you you'll suffer the same fate. J'

They all looked horrified while Artemis and Thalia sprinted off towards the camp grounds. They really needed to catch that bloody wolf.

It would be harder than they thought. Finding Noir was the easy part, catching him was something entirely different. He was true to his word and didn't blink anywhere but it was like trying to catch smoke. You can't. Artemis could tell that he wasn't using any power but it didn't make her feel any better as she lost sight of him again. He was always within a couple meters of her but she just couldn't figure what the hell kind of movements he was using to evade her. Every now and again she would get close enough to grab him but in what seemed like slow motion he would simply drift away. She and the girls stopped and backed off as he stood in the centre of them smirking. Then he started to move TOWARDS them. He swayed drunkenly from side to side slowly. All of their eyes widened as short range after images followed his movements. It looked like there was a procession of Noirs approaching her, all following the same pattern as they faded away before the next directional change.

Artemis stepped back slowly, the lazy grin on his face was a complete guise for the danger before them. They knew he wouldn't get particularly rough but they knew precisely how much damage he could do to their formation with feral efficiency. They were treating this as a HVT Assault and Capture mission. Noir was taking this seriously and now they were too. They all set their stances low as they approached the hybrid. Artemis blinked and he was in front of her. She yelped and scrambled back. She tried to regain her balance but Noir hooked her leg and pulled. She aimed to bring him down with her as she grabbed his collar but he jumped with the pull, pinched her wrist making it go numb and limp, and somersaulted out of the circle.

That was when all Hades broke loose. Thalia gave up on calm and collected and lunged at him expecting him to back up further due to how close they were. Obviously she wasn't prepared for him to lunge into her outstretched hands and use his shoulder (along with her momentum) to toss her clean over his head where she landed upon her mistress. Phoebe was quickly up next. His grin grew when he saw her approaching and he promptly shoved his hand in his pockets. Outraged at the insult Phoebe charged, much to Atlanta's dismay as she rushed to back her up. Noir's hands flew outwards and clamped onto both of Phoebe's as he slid between her legs and into nose nuzzling distance to Atlanta. Atlanta blushed at their proximity which was the perfect distraction for Noir to use. He quickly dropped into a low sweep, simultaneously dodging Phoebe's grab and tripping the both of them where Atlanta's momentum sent them tumbling into a finally recovered Artemis and Thalia. The rest of the Hunters looked terrified before Trixie, a daughter of Tyche, grabbed her lucky Rabbit's foot, let loose a battle cry and charged. Noir's smile only grew as the Huntresses rapidly approached.

 **With Percy, at the beach**

" _GO TO THE MOON!"_

Percy looked quizzically towards the camp grounds wondering what kind of trouble Noir was getting up to. He shrugged and settled back into the warm sand to continue his relaxation. He'd wreak havoc tomorrow, Noir could manage well enough on his own for today.

 **Back with the Hunt and Noir**

When Trixie landed on her, Thalia was entirely sure the hybrid was doing this on purpose. She rolled out from under Trixie as another one of her sisters, Moira a daughter of Hecate that had joined during the Salem Witch trials, landed heavily on top of Trixie and Artemis who was at the bottom of the dog pile as it were. Artemis let out an 'Oof!' when Noir used Moira's back as a quick springboard and launched into the air in a tight flip. Backwards. He landed behind the Hunters who had thought he would continue forward, clearing the tightly packed group, and skidded to a halt as they all tumbled into each other as they tried to spin back around. With the Hunt in a heap he blew them a kiss,

" _Good to know I got the ladies piling up to hold me down."_

They all growled as he laughed and sauntered off, making sure he swayed his hips with as much sass as he could manage. The flustered pile of angry girls were scrambling trying to get after him but were counterproductive as a whole, tripping and pulling each other down. They were getting nowhere fast.

Artemis sighed as someone accidently elbowed her ribs. She was going to be stuck here a while.

When Thalia and Artemis walked into the Rec Room jaws dropped. Artemis was showing mid-drift, Thalia's legs were on display, and the bubble gum she was chewing popped with a ferocity no one could deny. She glared at them all and the head councillors quickly looked away. Artemis sat and crossed her arms over her chest while Thalia leaned against the wall behind her with one foot braced against the wall as she blew another bubble.

"What are we waiting for?" she inquired.

Travis Stoll swallowed thickly as he tried, exceptionally hard, to maintain eye contact. "We're missing two we just need Percy and- "

 _"_ _Me?"_

Jaws dropped again as Percy and Noir strolled in. Percy had a Victorian suit on with a cane included. A top hat sat upon his head with a teal ribbon tied about it. The ruffles of his shirt were tipped in the same teal and it stood out against the white undershirt and popped against his black waist coat. His trousers were tidy and wrinkleless while a cane was topped with a Dark Opal rested in his hands. The colors swam within it making it look like a blue nebulae atop his walking stick. He tipped his hat with a crooked grin and took his seat with his cane beside his chair. Unfortunately all eyes were on Noir.

He wore black denim slacks with platinum diamond pattern on one leg and no shirt. He had button up on but left it completely unbuttoned revealing his chiselled torso for the world to ogle. He had a long scarf on that wrapped around his neck but trailed in two tails over his shoulder tipped with platinum. The area around his neck held four pendulums all hanging across his chest and a black newsboy cap sat atop his head. The bill of it was edged with his trade mark platinum and two slits had been added so his wolf ears could poke through. He had apparently gotten tired of looking human but took pity on the rest of them, relegating himself to a single black tail. It seemed to fit with the tribal wolf head emblemized in platinum on his button up's breast pocket. Three thick lines of platinum dropped from beneath it with a staggering finish. A familiar platinum chain hung off the belt loops of his low slung jeans. If anyone had a problem with the black, white wasted boxers they could see beneath his V-line no one commented on it.

This time Katie swallowed hard, "Yes." She managed to croak out. He gave her a wicked smirk.

 _"_ _Well ya want me? Ya got me. Now come on, keep staring and I'll start charging. We have work to do."_

Chiron cleared his throat while the rest of the councillors tried to look anywhere but at Noir, Thalia, Artemis, and Percy. Though Annabeth seemed to be having the most trouble keeping her eyes off Percy whose hat sat crookedly on his head like the mischievous smile on his face. Thalia dutifully ignored her hormones as Noir stretched heavily and let loose a low groan before taking his seat. With (almost) everyone's (almost) undivided attention Chiron began the meeting.

"We have to be ready to respond especially with the gathering storm approaching. According to Percy we know that Kronos had risen in the body of Luke Castellan. The ship the Princess Andromeda has a veritable army on it and cannot be located. We know Kronos is targeting Mt. Olympus and we know he has quite a few minor gods on his side."

Noir snorted, _"Minor gods that could easily shift the balance in this war for better or worse you mean…"_

"What do you mean?" Noir faced Katie

 _"_ _I'm saying you guys are extremely lucky Iris is a peaceful goddess. You'd be screwed in terms of communication. Same thing with Hestia and as for Hecate, who is openly supporting their side by the way, is not a minor_ goddess _you fools. She's a minor_ TITANESS _. Need I say more?"_

Chiron nodded in grim agreement while the councillors paled slightly.

 _"_ _On the bright side, Cheshire is gone but that doesn't mean they won't provide the Titan army with a bit more of a kick. If you see Kronos shooting laser eye beams don't be surprised is all I'm saying."_

Cue nervous sweat

 _"_ _However, with this there will be less contention to my actions with him gone. Not to mention we have a break while they gather their forces. We can use the extra time to recruit additional demi-gods for before and after the battle. I know we said we'd have no fatalities in this war but realistically bodies will be buried. I hate to say it but it's the truth. As for the battle itself, we need to train the campers harder. Don't kill them, but make them work for it. Also the transportation means for the campers needs a bit more work. We want snap reactions in case of ambush or pre-emptive strike. I say if we can get a lock on the Andromeda we can stealth on board and maul the thing. We'll need someone good on the water"_

Pointed look at Percy,

" _and someone with killer explosive talents."_

A glance to Bekendorf who gave a simple nod from where he sat beside Silena.

 _"_ _Good. We can presume this battle will be based in New York City, the main objective will be the Empire State Building upon which Olympus stands. We have a few weeks if we're lucky before everything begins to crack. Atlas is back beneath the sky but we will be faced with other powerful titans. In the meantime, there is another meeting I must attend. We will revisit this once more. C'mon Perce, we got work to do."_

With that he blinked out, leaving Percy confused. Chiron looked thoughtful before wheeling towards the door,

"I believe he refers to the Council of Cloven Elders. They are the ones that lead the satyrs and are the awarders of searcher's license. With what he said transpired during the expedition of the Labyrinth he will need our support. Satyrs are more stubborn than most would expect."

Soon enough Percy was standing (still in his surprisingly cool and comfortable suit) beside Annabeth and Juniper, who was Grover's girlfriend, as he got chewed out by the Cloven Elders.

"Blasphemy! Pan is alive and he will return! He shall lead us once more into an age in which the Wild is dominant!"

Noir snarled viciously from his place beside Percy while Chiron pinched the bridge of his nose. Grover stood his ground firmly for what it was worth.

"Even if he is still out there, which he's not since me and the questers saw him fade and were witness to his final resting place within the labyrinth, he is not here now. We cannot continue to search for a god that is simply not there. We must fight for the wild ourselves if we want to make the difference especially with war approaching. We can't just keep running around while the rest of this pantheon fights for our survival. We need to gather the nature spirits and prepare for-"

"WE don't have to do anything you say! WE are the Elders. WE say what goes, WE-"

 _"_ _Are a bunch of old sods sitting on your wilting thrones doing fuck all for this world while your subordinates dies in a quest for a ghost. You insult the memory of my resting friend with your ignorance and disrespect for his entrusted and you disrespect his memory with your dependence upon him. You disrespect his teachings as you sit upon your high horses getting fat off your prestige. Now YOU can sort yourselves the fuck out. Or I can force feed you're your goddamn lungs."_

Noir stood proud in deer form, life energy flowing off him like water off a waterfall. The Elders looked absolutely terrified as he began to advance on them and with a few squeals/bleats they ran like hell itself was following them. With what they had seen Noir do, hell would've been the better option. Noir scoffed at their attitudes and blinked away while Grover began asking the gathered Dryads and Satyrs to help with the war effort.

"I'm glad that he stood up and helped, but now I have to gather the nature spirits. We've been too passive for too long and with Kronos coming we have no time to spare. He will burn the wild just as he would burn Olympus and we can't let everyone else sacrifice themselves for our homes. I'll rally the nature spirits. You guys work around here to make sure everyone is ready for what's to come."

With that he kissed a proud looking Juniper and spun off towards the woods. Percy was quite proud of him and turned back to Annabeth.

"Come on. We've got training to do."

The next couple of days were less lax as Noir led the Hunters through crazy high speed training as they moved from camp back towards California for a check up on Mt. Orthyrs. Noir was coaching them on the extent of their blessings and possibly channeling their own demi-goddess powers into it, and in turn, their bodies.

 _"_ _As far as I've seen the blessing is a natural enhancement to your own abilities as well as an addition of typical Hunter related capabilities. Try drawing on it. Typically it's a passive addition but try focusing on what it encompasses. Focus on Artemis's domains and try to feel the energy you've been granted. Take in the forest and pull in as much energy as you can from the moon. Picture the rays of moonlight tethering to your bodies and feeding you strength."_

With the full moon above them they could actually feel the strength of the world around them. The aroma of nature invaded their senses as their blessing's augments began to become more prominent.

 _"_ _Good. Try and keep up that kind of connection as you train. It'll become easier to do with time and it'll be easier to maintain. Once you have the hang of that we'll work on the blending of your own powers into the blessing to further boost its capabilities. I would also recommend pushing your selves to set and break your limits. The blessing enhances, therefore, should you further strengthen your natural capabilities and they will be further enhanced. Make sense? Great."_

With that he left them to meditate beneath their mistress's domain as he blinked off to wherever the hell he had been going for the past week. They eventually broke down into typical chores after a half hour. Thalia and Lily were setting up the fire while Phoebe and Atlanta went off to Hunt. It was 10 seconds before they both came bursting out of the trees with the Nemean lion hot on their trail, only it looked way different than when Thalia had previously encountered it. Bone protrusions sprouted from its shoulders and a pair of bull horns sprouted from above its eyes and curved down in front of its maw. Its coat wasn't just reflective gold, striations of black trailed a across its flank making it look more like a tiger than anything. There was also a T shaped club on its tail that hooked backwards like a mace.

Its roar shook the clearing and Thalia wasted no time firing an arrow into its now black maw. It bit down with ferocious force, splintering the arrow into dust. It turned to her with pure hatred in its eyes.

'Well fuck'

The lion lunged while Thalia rolled beneath it. It was apparently a whole load faster than before and spun on a dime, swatting her with a massive paw. Something soft caught her and set her down. She looked up to see a scowling Noir carrying her princess style while Artemis flashed into the clearing. She took in the lion before it whipped its tail at her. She jumped back and away, conjuring her bow and peppering its black and gold face with arrows. A thin film seemed to slip over its eyes and Artemis's arrow shattered against it. Noir flew past her and smashed a flat palm into the beasts flank. Much to the Hunter's surprise the beast didn't budge, the ground on the opposing side of it did. It shattered in an outward cone in the same direction Noir's palm had struck. The lion jumped away obviously wounded judging from the blood staining its teeth as they were bared at Noir. It was so focused on him it didn't even notice Lily standing directly behind it. She figured now was as good a time as any to test the theory she and Noir had come up with.

She quickly drew up and orb of solar power before slowly pushing lunar energy into the sphere. After all the glow of the moon was the reflection of sunlight upon it. Well…according to science anyway. The resulting flux was a swirl of gold and silver that she compressed as much as she could before she lunged towards the lion. It kicked out a leg but she slid beneath it and rammed the spiraling power mass into the beast's underbelly ( **A/N: Rasengan anyone?)**.

The resulting explosion pinned her flat against the ground whilst a silver and gold tempest of energy flung the lion sky high. Darkness was beginning to encroach in her vision. She had drawn that energy from within herself and not from her reserve, now she just felt drained. She had enough consciousness left to watch Noir and Artemis slam twin impacts into opposing sides of the lion, crushing its chest cavity and likely causing an insane amount of hemorrhaging before she passed out.

She awoke the next day feeling still the slightest bit groggy. She walked outside to find the sun high overhead.

'Must be around midday' she thought before she was tossed into the air with a yelp. Noir was beneath her smiling radiantly.

 _"_ _That was awesome!"_ He caught her and pulled her into a hug which she returned.

 _"_ _Absolutely brilliant. Brilliant I say! Drawing on your own powers, manifesting the power within a controlled state, AND infusing it with Artemis's domain? You, my friend, deserve a cookie."_

The cookie he conjured was five feet in diameter and stood taller than she did. Also it was blue which he likely picked up from Percy.

"He's not wrong you know. Those movements and reactions as well as your power management were pretty freaking awesome."

Thalia lightly ruffled her hair and she beamed at the both of them.

 _"_ _But you do know what today is, right Lils?"_

She sent him a confused look to which he smirked and vanished (along with the cookie which made her pout) and reappeared in a tux.

The rest of the Hunters, along with Artemis, all stood around them in varying states of formal attire. He then flashed them to a ball room where the band immediately began to play. The concerto was soft and welcoming and there was a steaming buffet in the corner.

Noir snapped his fingers and a banner rolled down from the rafters

'First Month with the Hunt!'

They finally realized how much had happened in such a short time. The Hunt had gained two new siblings. A quest was issued and resolved. A full battle was fought. Some siblings were lost. They had come to (at least) tolerate the presence of men (despite the lingering prejudice). Finally they had become stronger. Not just as teammates, but as family. A slow smile spread across their faces, or in Phoebe's case a slight grin, and they began to cheer.

The rest of the night was peaceful as they danced and chatted with each other. Ate and listened to Thalia tell the about the ridiculous trouble Percy got into before they met him and all of the ridiculous moments they've had since before and after she joined the Hunt. When it got to the part about he had dumped lime green hair dye in the Aphrodite cabin's shampoo they had all clapped in appreciation. When they learned the cabin had turned everything he owned pink, and he then proceeded to own it, they had laughed heartily at the notion of Percy in a pink polo, with pink shorts, and a pink sweater tied about his shoulders as he strutted around in pink loafers. The notion was too much and the Hunt was practically in tears. They had heard even more stories of his ridiculousness and kindness that day as well.

When they heard of how he ran the sword fighting classed their interest was piqued. Normally they expected arrogance and cruelty but what they heard shocked them.

"He's surprisingly laid back about it. He does instruct firmly don't get me wrong but he's exceptionally patient, especially with the younger kids. He absolutely hates the attention and hero worship but he can never turn them down, 'They just look so cute with the puppy dog eyes and the whole you're my hero please teach me thing I just can't say no.' You wouldn't believe how many times I've heard Annabeth yelling at him about skipping classes to head down to the lake. I don't think she know he spends most of his time there with the kids. As it were He even sneaks off into the Arena with them after class and teaches them at their pace with wooden swords. It's actually hilarious cause one of them tripped him and he landed backwards on his sword."

Thalia chuckled, "He complained about his splinters for a week."

The Hunt was dumbfounded by the sheer kindness and humbleness of the demi-god. They had always thought he was goofy with the way he ended up spluttering and turning red in the face at the slightest tease. He would always smile about it and laugh anyway. They looked over to Noir who was dancing with Lily on his feet, smiling like a silly big brother and wondered

'Maybe. Just maybe. They might have been wrong about all men being pigs.'

The rest of the night went by peace fully and soon enough they were back at camp.

Atlanta marched right up to Noir who had a sleeping Lily on his back.

"You. Wolf. Now."

He cocked an eyebrow before he handed Lily off to Thalia and shifted.

"Bigger" she demanded

He grew to 45 feet tall and flopped onto his side. Atlanta climbed up onto his flank and flopped down on her back.

"Well? What are you guys waiting for? A bloody sign from the gods? Get up here!"

The rest of the Hunters smiled and hopped up onto the massive wolf. Noir curled up and set his head down. His massive tails swung around and rested lightly about and on top of them making a blanket of warmth and comfort.

In the cool nigh air, on top of their behemoth companion, the Hunt fell asleep beneath the stars. The warmth of family encompassing them.

 **A/N: Annnnnnndddddd Another Chapter done! 22 is half done since I got ahead on it before first week but it's second week and I already have a formal lab report coming up so that should about speak to how busy I'm gonna be with another 6 bloody classes. Any who not only working on quantity as well as quality so he story might hit a weekly update schedule instead of my typical 3-5 days (Yeah I actiually updated a full chapter within 3 days a few times). So just keep up and stay tuned, I still have another 5 books to get through here!**


	20. Chapter 22

**A/N: SOMEONE HIGH FIVE ME! Aíght, cause I know school's is eventually gonna end up eating up a good portion of my writing time I went hell hard and hot OVER 10K WORDS DONE! *Bows dramaticaly while being showered in roses and applause* SO Imma be straight with y'all. I won't be updating for a little while cause of my work load and whatnot. and to update more frequently I'd cut out quality as well as quantity and as a matter of pride I refuse to do that. So have this extra long chapter and enjoy.**

 **As for the reviewer who asked for my classes, it's a whole lotta sciences and maths and labs which will have me slammed between assignments and reports. I know it's terrible. But the things you do to ensure your survivability after education I guess. Without further ado peeps, welcome to chapter 22!**

Chapter 22: Shift Up

The next day was something else. The Hunters kicked it into high gear with training. Most of them were sitting with Lily and getting tips on how to combine Artemis's domain with their own demi-god powers. Surprisingly few people were irritated at taking lessons from a 9 year old but they had long since learned that new recruits ended up bringing more to the table than they thought. Especially with the generational gap between them and the older Hunters.

"Just try and draw connection between your parents' domains and hers. Mine is daylight and I treated it like the sun. Scientifically, moonlight is rays of sunlight reflected off the moon. From that standpoint I sort of drew on it as an extension of my powers and the blessing."

"Speaking of which" Thalia interrupted, "You still haven't told us who your parent was. Not to mention your story before you came here."

She fidgeted slightly displaying her obvious discomfort while Noir simply appeared behind Thalia. His eyes were slit and seemed to be daring her to push it. Atlanta opened her mouth but a glance from Noir stopped her. Lily noticed and shook her head ever so slightly.

"Gather up everyone. I'd rather not repeat myself…"

It was a severe contrast to the way she typically smiled and shrugged it off. Her eyes were downcast and she seemed more grey clouds than sunshine. Her emerald eyes were dull and lifeless as she walked towards the center of the camp.

It didn't take long for the twenty something odd Huntresses to gather up at the center of the camp for an unprecedented story time. Artemis herself had tried to coax the young girl to speak up but had got naught but jokes and smiles. Noir had taught her all too well it appeared.

She sat on Noir's lap where she snuggled in. He wrapped his hands around her waist and let his tails wrap around the two. Lily sighed heavily and squished herself as far into Noir as possible before she began.

"It started with school. Now I don't know why, maybe because I'm young and maybe I was the only one there without a mother, but everyone thought I was the cause. I really could care less then though. My dad was always warm, warmer than me. So warm I' m sure Hestia would've loved him too." She smiled at the memory before scowling,

"Then he got sick and it got worse. The other kids kept away mostly but when dad got sick they became cruel. Hitting me and throwing things telling me I was a curse. They said that it was my fault mom was gone and that my dad was dying. They filled my locker with trash, wrote curses on my desk, one girl even stabbed me with a pencil." She sighed heavily.

"Then I hit rock bottom. After a couple months of encouraging words and even warmer smiles, my dad actually died. I was devastated and I didn't even have time to grieve. There was this massive toss up for my custody between my dad's sister and the state. She would've won but her husband ended up declining the officer when she wasn't there. Before she could find me and pull me from the orphanage I was lost in the system already. I went form the orphanage to a group home and then from there to an orphanage a state over. Almost like someone wanted me as far away from my aunt as possible. After that I was adopted cause little green eyed girls are in high demand." She snorted derisively.

"The parents were nice, at first of course. I was just happy to be having a decent meal and room so I was a good kid. Apparently it wasn't enough, I was supposed to be a genius they stumbled upon to show off to their uppity friends and when I didn't deliver I was more like a pet they were stuck with. They eventually got bored of cursing my existence and tossed me right back into the system. I went from rock bottom to hell at this point. I was adopted again and had a little bit of hope. The man was friendly and kind. He was a children's doctor and a complete sweet heart. That changed quickly."

( **A/N: Okay it physically killed me to write this bit and it's going to get rough so hang onto your underpants people. This may or may not contain triggers but I can't say for sure. I don't know anyone who suffers from them and have no intention of digging for 'em. This pat will be rated M for mature themes, abuse, and slight torture.)**

She breathed in, held the breathe, and breathed out shakily.

"Being a doctor meant he knew the best ways to cut into flesh without leaving a scar. Something I learned all too well. He had always wanted to be an artist and used my body for a canvass. 'Skin raised and colors with the slightest pressure, but the marks fade just as easily! It's a more precise and easy easel to easily clean! Not to mention the more…trouble some ones I can take care of myself.' Is what he told me. He had a table in his basement he'd tie me to. Face down and gagged I couldn't do anything but cry. He'd always do it on Fridays so the school couldn't be suspicious as to why I couldn't attend the next day. Summer came around and that was my breaking point. I would still have the scars from then if not for Noir but looking back the man had some skill. He carved a Japanese Cherry Blossom tree into my back. The petals were his favorite part. He'd always take his time dragging an X-acto blade through my skin. 'just making sure I don't ruing the forms!' he'd cheerily explain while I screamed my head off. He carved in a river with waves included so all the more fun for him to have as he perfected the peaks and curves. I couldn't even tell what was up or down afterwards ad had no comprehension of time. He had even neglected to feed me before and after out little 'sessions'."

Some Hunters flinched at the sheer venom she spat the word with,

"It finally came down to me losing my sense of taste for a while when I found out he had a friend who wanted something different but worse from my body. I had heard him come down to 'asses the product'. He had even said the mural would make for a nice view for when he took me. That night I chewed for everything I was worth and bit through my gag. I didn't bother screaming and dislocated my shoulder in the process of freeing my hands. I twisted an ankle getting the bonds off my legs and practically tore out my nails as I scrambled though the basement window. I took in fresh air for the first time in what had to be months before I took off running. I hit a park first and high tailed it to the nearest jam packed city. I must've ran for a mile before I collapsed in a dirty ally way with a busted ankle and a limp shoulder. I was too terrified to ask for anyone's help after that incident so I avoided anyone and everyone. I eventually managed to set my shoulder and make an impromptu brace for my ankle but it still didn't do much for the hunger. I learned quickly not to bother with garbage cans after a hobo almost beat me to death for being in his area. Instead I was smarter than that. I found a few restaurants and would hide out nearby until delivery days. As soon as the workers backs were turned I race inside, grab the first things I saw, and high tail it as far away as possible. There were quite a few fire escapes so I made my home there. The building was practically abandoned so I set up a couple sheets of metal. Three walls, some moth eaten sheets for a bed, and a roof and that was me. 8 years old and living on a fire escape in gods know where."

"The only break I got or ever needed was when I met a certain wolf."

Her smile was almost blinding as she beamed at Noir. He smiled back and held her closer, kissing the top of her head.

"You'd expect me to be all, 'OH MY GOD A TALKING WOLF! He'll totally save me from all this!' Truth is I ran hard and I ran fast in the opposite direction as soon as I heard the 'Good afternoon' echo in my skull. He popped up in front of me with a, 'It's rude to ignore people.' And I screamed before I blacked out. I woke up back against a tree with a McDonalds Happy meal sitting beside me with Noir laying in front of me. That burger and fries was gone in a heartbeat, I'm telling you. As for Noir I straight up told him if he was going to eat me he'd have better done it right then since a full stomach was all I needed before I passed on. He laughed loudly before scoffing. 'Do you even-

 _"_ _Do you even know how bad humans taste? You're either too stringy or too fatty! And I'm a wolf for Christ's sake man! If I have a heart attack I can't exactly go to the hospital for help with my cholesterol ya know?!"_

Despite the situation the Hunt found themselves laughing with the two before they settled down.

"He picked me up and brought me to this copse of trees in the park nearby and that was the first full night of sleep I'd had in a long time. Just curled up warmly next to the craziest wolf I'd ever met. I woke up the next morning with him gone, thinking I must be going insane. He came back a second later with a Walmart bag full of clothes, food, chips, water, and cards. He dropped it at my feet before shifting to ten foot, ten tailed wolf mode. He shot me with what I could only describe as a grin before saying, 'Get on loser! We're going on an adventure!'"

She wrapped her arms around a tail and pulled it to her chest.

"The rest is history I guess."

Many of the Huntresses were in tears. They all shifted to Noir who looked down with an unspeakable amount of love for the child in his lap. Thalia was the first on up to tackle them in a hug and soon enough it was a giggling mess of watery eyed girls that were comforting their sister as much as they were comforting themselves.

 _"_ _Okay Okay! We still have training to do and I need to recover my manliness so enough cuddling damn it! I need to go be macho and hit things in a manly fashion while looking manly! I can't have people thinking I'm going soft over here!"_

The Hunters chuckled while they piled off. Noir zipped around giving them all one last hug before he popped off to do whatever. Lily took a deep breath before heading for the training grounds. She had a family to protect after all.

 **Ogygia. 3** **rd** **P.O.V**

Noir popped up on the beach, a somber expression on his face. Calypso had sensed the immortal flashing and gazed upon his human form for the first time. She was shocked at how good looking he was but more so at the loneliness that seemed to be trying to overcome him. She quickly walked towards him. When she was within arm's reach he blurred into her, toppling the two of them onto the sand. His head was buried in her chest as he took shaky breaths.

" _I might have a family Caly. I might have a home… One I don't have to run from for once."_

She still remembered the day he had vanished from her island. The look of pure depression and desperation in his eyes before he had vanished. She knew how much it must have killed him to leave her, even if it was to keep her safe. She was never bitter about it, just sad that she couldn't stand up to those that would break him through her. She clamped her arms around his shoulders, and there they lay. Hanging onto each other, two beings forever resigned to solitude for the sake of preventing harm. Calypso, whose heroes had someone or something more to save, and Noir, who couldn't stay in any one place too long for fear of bringing suffering upon those he loved.

 _"_ _If…If we win this…I'll introduce you to them. All of them…_

 _Calypso?"_

He inquired.

"Hm?"

 _"_ _If we win this…will you come home with me?"_

She was startled to say the least. She knew for a fact he had spent millennia in solitude and had long since given up on hoping to live happily with those he loved, but her? They had been together a long time, now that she thought of it. Hundreds of years on this island were probably thousands in the outside world. She held him closer, and despite not being able to see it for herself, and knowing that there could be a million things that could ruin the whole plan, she couldn't deny him.

"Of course doofus. Who else will keep you from burning down your home every time to set foot in the kitchen?"

He chuckled weekly, both of them knowing his skills outside of pastries was non-existent. He pressed harder against her, snaking his hands around her waist and tangling their legs. He pressed a chaste kiss to her neck and cuddled into her before letting his breathing slow. Soon enough both of them were out like a light, relishing in the warmth of their respective friend as they slumbered on the warm sand.

Neither had slept so well in a long time.

Noir blinked to Camp Half Blood after a nice long cuddle session with Calypso. He loved her far more than he should. Truly. She was an easy target who was averse to violence and lived on an enchanted island that no one kept track of save few immortals, or even visited voluntarily. Once again, save a few immortals. He ran his hands through his hair frustrated, and walked right into someone else in his inherent thought trap.

He reached out and steadied the camper as he realized who he'd made drop their bag. Noir quickly handed Percy his bag and spun to walk with him as he made his way to Half-Blood Hill.

 _"_ _Well deserved vacay I take it?"_

Percy nodded brightly, "We have no idea when the mission we planned will be put into action but I do live near enough that I can be on call if need be. Blackjack will be able to grab me worst case scenario. Plus I went flying and almost got murdered a couple dozen times so this is more for my mother's health than mine really."

He chuckled lightly, "Not to mention I might be craving her cookies!"

They shared a laugh before Noir's smile grew,

 _"_ _You know…I think I could eat."_

With that they were suddenly standing in front of Percy's apartment. Before the son of Poseidon could object Noir had already knocked. He sent Percy a sly grin as they heard his mother's absolutely heavenly voice.

"Coming!"

Percy had enough time to sock Noir on the shoulder and he simply chuckled. Percy new there was absolutely nothing he could do to hurt the shifter but at least it made him feel better.

Sally Jackson's face appeared as the door swung open and she quickly broke into a broad smile when she saw her son. He was engulfed in a hug before she took in Noir. Warm brown eyes met liquid platinum.

 _"_ _Well…I can assure you that it is no lie when I say"_ he knelt, _"my absolute pleasure to meet you."_

Percy grimaced as his mother blushed when he brought her hand to his lips. Percy fake gagged and Noir shot him a grin.

 _"_ _Perhaps we should postpone introduction until we get inside?"_

She nodded and led them both inside, closing the door behind them.

 _"_ _With that out of the way allow me to make a proper introduction."_

His tails unfurled and he pulled off his cap revealing his ears.

 _"_ _Nice to meet you Ms. Jackson, I am Noir."_

Sally Jackson fainted onto a conveniently placed tail.

"You're too smooth for your own good you know that?"

 _"_ _Just be happy I'm not putting the moves on Annabeth."_

"…Touché"

-Line Break-

It didn't take long for Sally to wake up and even less time to explain his presence and how he came to accompany her son. Once they got through the (toned down of course) details of Percy's latest endeavor, Sally faced him where he sat.

"Thank you for helping us and, more specifically, thank you for helping my son. The gods have little time to help if they choose to and hearing you rival the forces that started this world and coming down to protect them your self means more than I'll ever be able to express."

Percy couldn't help but nod in agreement as his mother bowed slightly. He always forgot exactly what Noir was with his relaxed and laid back attitude. He had only seen Noir show any form of aggression to those that were trying to hurt the people he cared about and outside of that he was always kind and warm. He wasn't shy about hugging people, or telling horrid jokes, causing crowds to groan with cheesy puns, and setting cheeks aflame (male and female alike) with teasing glances and the occasional raunchy flirts. Never had he seen Drew's legs give out the way they did after Noir had whispered in her ear. Up to this day no one knows what he said and he refused to elaborate. Always saying something about wicked whispers or blaming his manly charm as he flipped his hair dramatically.

He never put himself above them. He stood with them. He stood arm in arm with them.

Now was another example as a tail snaked out and tipped Sally's chin up so she could meet his eyes. Pure warmth pooled in his eyes as his smile lit up the semi dingy apartment.

 _"_ _Child, a soul a bright as yours does not deserve the vessel that contains it. You truly deserve to be a queen, and were it within the set course I would make it happen."_

Sally spluttered blushing something ferocious as he simply chuckled and shook his head.

 _"_ _And that is why. I offer a kingdom, you decline. I offer wealth"_ he gestured to the simplistic apartment, _"You claim to have more than enough. I hand you your dreams, you return them in order to claim them yourself. Truly humans never cease to amaze me, wither in their creative creation of cruelty or in their ability to perform feats the greatest of entities would not dare to attempt even with all of their power."_ He sighed, _"If only you could see what I see when I look at you…Actually…"_

He closed his eyes and slowly the room filled with warmth, it was laced with a touch of sadness and despair but quickly shifted to determination, trust, surety, and a heart melting protective love. Percy glanced at his mother and suddenly the sensation shifted to an undying and ferocious loyalty. A tender touch of a colossal amount of love and a harsh promise of pain for those that would come between the expresser and his love. Suddenly he realized this is what he _felt_ inside of him whenever he thought of his mother. What they had felt previously was Sally's life experiences and hope and faith in her son.

 _"_ _So much love in such tiny existences. Such a pure expression of care and loyalty. An almost feral protective nature that leaves no option but for the other to survive."_

He breathed in long and hard before the sensations dissipated.

 _"_ _If such souls don't deserve royalty I don't know if anything else does."_

He smiled so gently at the pair, they almost melted beneath the genuine elation in his eyes. Just the notion of happiness he got off the two, who needed nothing more than each other, was infectious. He felt bubbly and giddy as they smiled at him and then each other.

 _"_ _Ya know…if you really want to thank me Ms. Jackson. I heard you make some world class cookies."_

Percy practically beamed while Sally laughed lightly and got up. Heading towards the kitchen with Percy hot on her tail to help.

Noir's ears twitched and his tails flicked as he watched the two bumping shoulders and generally goofing around as they got the ingredients together. Noir sighed heavily and wiped at the tears that threatened to spill. Percy flagged him over and he grinned. He might not have a home of his own yet, but having so many people willing to welcome him into theirs made his entire being sing. He swore that Sally and Percy would wake up to the nicest home he could imagine. Before that, he had pastries to prepare.

It wasn't long before the trio were covered in flour, tossing handfuls at each other, and giggling like fools as they waited for the cookies to bake. Noir's smile could only have been brighter if Lily were there with him.

When Noir popped back up in the Hunter camp, the Hunters were nowhere to be found. He expanded his senses and found them near, in, and around a small river that pooled into a small pool.

He decided to not bother heading in that direction and made his way to the camp kitchen. He couldn't make a proper meal by any means, but he knew his way around Dulcè **(A/N: I'm not particularly well versed, but I'm still pretty sure that translates to 'Sweets' in Italian).** Sally's motherly nature (and ability to school him at Uno) had lit a fire in him. He was still giggly and giddy so he decided to lay a trap for the Hunters. A 'sweet' surprise if you would. He chuckled at his pun before walking towards the kitchen tent. He had work to do after all.

Not ten minutes later the Hunters found what had to be the picture of heaven.

 _"_ _Crème Brûlèe, Beignets, a variety of Tarts, Vanilla Bean Custard, Chocolate Mousse, Salted Caramel Crunch Bars, Red Velvet Cake, Black Forest Cake, New York style Cheese Cake, Apple Pecan Caramel Crunch Pie, Strawberry Pie, and an assortment of Ice creams and Gelato. Bon Apètit!"_

The Hunt had to double take as they took in Noir. He stood there in a simple pair of black jeans and a T-shirt with an apron on and a chef's hat sitting crookedly on his head. Never had they seen such a bright smile on his face. He looked genuinely happy instead of his typically content mood.

 _"_ _Well? What're you waiting for? The Queen?"_

The Hunt, as a whole, lunged for the dining table.

They plowed full force into the confections entirely unaware of the change Noir had instituted. He snickered and blinked away. Only Lily noticed an eyed the deserts suspiciously before she truly noticed what was wrong. She groaned and let her forehead fall onto the table edge. Atalnta looked down at her and her eyes widened in shock before she looked down at herself and almost choked.

"NOIR!"

Noir sat in a tree a hundred of so feet up in the air, struggling to stay upright as he laughed heartily.

The Hunt spent the next week in varying sates of fashion, though Lily constantly strutted about the camp showing off her new digs. Phoebe had joined the fashionista in the camp strut when she ended up in modern blood red digital camo combat pants, a pitch black cut off tank top, and a fading maroon denim cut off jacket. He chestnut hair fell in waves and her blood red lipstick added to the look. Smoky red and black eyeshadow brought out her naturally dark eyes. Lily walked around in a teal blouse that complemented her eyes and a pair of white shorts. A gold sun bordered in silver flames hung form her neck while her blonde hair sat in a high ponytail, leaving her wavy locks to bounce with every step she took. Other than those two Noir was not welcome in camp.

As it were he simply spent more time with Calypso and surprisingly both Artemis and her lieutenant. The two had simply shrugged at the wardrobe change and moved on. The trio quite often ended up at the bottom of a lake, where Noir had created an air pocket, chatting and watching the confused trout swim by. The peace they were enjoying really rather didn't last long, and the end to it came with Percy's 'not date' with Rachel.

Noir had taken a break to hang with Percy before 'vanishing' while the two went for a drive. He watched almost giddily as Rachel asked what it would take to get him to kiss her and almost blew his cover sky high with the impulse to flash the two of them in front of Annabeth while she asked. The urge almost won when Bekendorf landed on the hood of Paul's blue Prius.

"Is it time?" Percy inquired.

Bekendorf simply nodded while Percy profusely apologized to Rachel only to be cut off by a kiss from the red head. He was completely red in the face when he stepped out of the car.

"Wait! We need to get Noir!"

Noir popped up beside him in owl form, _"Present!"_

With that they were off.

"I take it you don't want me telling Annabeth about that do you?"

"Oh dear gods Bekendorf please don't"

Bekendorf chuckled.

 _"_ _It's not him ya have to worry about anyway."_

Percy blanched before Noir sped up leaving the two plus Blackjack in the proverbial dust, cackling like a maniac. Percy groaned helplessly knowing his life had suddenly gotten a lot more complicated.

-Line Break-

As soon as the Andromeda was within sight range the disposition of the trio changed drastically. Everything went dead quiet save for the sound of the wind rushing past.

"Just drop us on the deck and steer clear Blackjack. We survive this and I'll have a pile of donuts for you when I get back."

The Pegasus whinnied quietly before they dove, wind snatching at their clothes. Soon enough Blackjack pulled up and both demi-gods were off his back before his hooves touched the deck. Noir flipped upside down and shifted, landing in a crouch in front of the two with only his serpentine tail to aid him this time around. By the time Percy drew Riptide Blackjack was long gone and the trio was on the move, Bekendorf clutching his **(A/N: Man Purse XD)** satchel to his side as they moved quietly to down to the lower decks. They heard footsteps and dipped into the nearest open door.

"I'm telling you I smell demi-god!"

"Bah! The last time you smelled demi-god it turned out to be a ham sandwich!"

"I'm telling you there's demi-gods on board!"

"Your heads not on board!"

The Telekhines continues to argue and the trio waited until they were but distant whispers before they moved again. They found the engine room soon enough and cracked open the door slowly. They didn't make a sound as they entered and stealthily approached the Telekhine at the counsel, where he typed away furiously. When Percy was within 6 feet of him the monster froze. He lunged for the alarm and Percy swiped to intercept.

And missed.

They thought this was there end when something stiff pierced the whole way through the monsters neck. Noir gently pulled the Telekhine impaled on his tail away from the alarm button. They breathed a sigh of relief and Bekendorf set to work as Noir and Percy guarded the door. Percy nodded his thanks but Noir simply waved him off.

Bekendorf was still setting up when Noir and Percy heard voices approaching.

"Bek, how much longer?"

"3 minutes"

 _"_ _I don't think we even have 30 seconds."_

Percy nodded and bolted out. By the time Noir was out behind him the squad of approaching monsters was reduced to 1 with a lunch box that Percy warned to get off the ship. He then took off through the ship causing a massive distraction while Noir sprinted to catch up, refusing to make his energy signature bigger than absolutely necessary.

He and Percy stormed through the ship and down to the galley. They found the absolute angriest crustacean ever sitting in a fountain in the middle of the base shopping level.

"FFFFFFTTTTT!" the massive crab foamed as it charged. Percy and Noir split up watching as it skid across the ceramic floor.

"Didn't Hercules crush this think beneath his heel or something?"

 _"_ _Not gonna lie kiddo, I think it might be a little bigger than your Reeboks."_

"FFFFFFTTTTTTTT!" and the crab was charging again. Percy caused the fountain to explode, and tossed a high pressure blast right into its side sending the monster crab sliding. It hissed angrily and charged once more. Percy took off towards it and in a feat of pure awesome, baseball slid beneath it and jammed Riptide into its underbelly. He slid out the other side and didn't bother to stop and admire his handy work as Noir and Percy continued running. They were intercepted by two dracaena charged them. Noir split their spears with his bare hands and decapitated them with the same motion. He ripped a nearby 'You are Here!' map of its stand and tossed it flipping over Percy's head just in time for it to catch two arrows that would've turned Percy into sea food ala mode. As soon as they barreled into the corridor towards the stairs, Percy took the lead as a Demi-god stepped down the last step in pajama bottoms and a bronze breast plate.

"For Lord Kronos!" He continued to yell as he charged Percy. He side stepped and grabbed the kid's wrist before bodily tossing him clean over himself and Noir as well.

"If you want to live, get the other demi-gods and get off this ship!"

They left the frightened demi-god and took the stairs two at a time.

 _"_ _Nice toss."_

"Why thank you."

They exploded onto the helicopter pad where they were supposed to meet Bekendorf on.

"Where…?"

A deep voice boomed out.

"Looking for your friend?"

Kronos smiled cruelly as he stood above Percy and Noir on an upper deck. As if rehearsed Hell hounds hopped from the nearest shadows, while Dracnae archers appeared alongside Kronos on the upper decks, and Laistrygonians blocked off the stair well.

Percy quickly drew Riptide and Noir took up stance beside him. His palm outward, right foot forward, thumb curled in, and one hand folded behind his back.

"Ah Ah Ah!" Kronos tutted.

Bekendorf was brought forward between two Laistrygonians, bound and bruised with his messenger bag on his side.

The monsters started to edge forward before Kronos raised his hand. He beckoned them forward and Noir let Percy lead.

"Afraid to lose to me Mr. Mighty Power?"

Noir's smirk would've made the Kraken run for his mommy.

 _"_ _You're below even Percy so why would I lift a finger?"_

Kronos snarled as Percy stepped up

"When I'm done with you demi-god you'll-"

"Yada Yada Yada. Can we skip the death threats and get to the part where I kick your ass?"

Kronos charged and they met in an explosion of sparks. Percy danced backwards while Kronos pressed his 'advantage'. Percy admitted that Kronos was good but the greater portion of his strokes were Luke's movements. He parried and blocked easily enough but the weight behind the swings were far more than anything Luke could've managed. He two handed Riptide and slapped Kronos's horizontal strike above his head. He kicked out a heavy blow. Kronos stumbled back but Percy felt like he'd just kicked a fridge. He still pushed the advantage and slashed across his chest. Kronos simply took the blow and skirted away from it, spinning in with Backbiter as Percy rolled Riptide into and icepick grip and led the strike off target with the guard. He jumped back and took Riptide into a traditional grip as he charged Kronos again. Suddenly he wasn't moving. He was stuck as Kronos walked leisurely towards him.

"Well? Are you just going to sit there while your compatriots die?"

 _"_ _If I ain't moving dumbass it's cause I don't have to. If the Fate decreed his death only then would I need to act, however, you should remember: A fight isn't over till one of you is dead and buried."_

Kronos spun but it was too late. Water exploded up over the side of the ship and doused the entire deck. The time spell broke and Percy fought with renewed vigor. Kronos finally lost is patience and allowed Percy's downward strike to bounce off his skin and returned the slash. Percy jumped back too late and Backbiter drew a line from his waist to his shoulder. Suddenly began to slump as energy drained from his body. He remembered that the blade severed souls as Kronos lazily twirled the cursed weapon. He busily gloated to Noir's face while Bekendorf made a simple gesture to the watch on his wrist. Percy mouthed 'how long?' and he formed an O between his forefinger and thumb. There would be no delay to the explosion once triggered.

"We even caught your mechanic with the help of our spy before he could plant…Where did you say you found him again?"

"Heading towards the engine room?"

"You're sure?"

"Yes My Lord."

"Did you check his bag?"

"…No Milord."

Percy could practically see the vein popping on Kronos head as he stared down the Laistrygonian.

"Did you think to see if maybe he was TRICKING YOU, YOU BUFOON?!"

The Laistrygonian paled and released one of Bekendorf's hands as he tumbled about the satchel. He paled some more and flipped it upside down, spilling out cans of beans and preservatives.

"SOMEONE GET TO THE ENGINE ROOM!"

A Telekhine broke out towards the stairs as Bekendorf slowly brought his hand to his wrist while Kronos ranted about imbecile subordinates. Percy tried to move towards him but he shook his head.

"Wait…What's that on his wrist?"

Percy wasted no time and made the pool explode, sweeping monsters over board as he sprinted for the edge of the deck. He plunged into the ocean and began gaining distance before the explosion rocked the world about him and lit it up bright green before the heat slammed into him. He drifted out of consciousness with an apology on his lips, and tears in his eyes.

Percy woke up floating on air. He opened his eyes and rapidly squinted until they adjusted. He found himself underwater. He sat up and the sheet that was covering him floated off. The shirt he was wearing was gone (again) but thankfully he still had his jeans and Riptide in his pocket.

He quickly drew it and spun when he heard a door open behind him. The poor Naiad let out a surprised 'Eep!' and backed into the wall. He out a breathe of relief and replaced Riptide's cap. He smiled at the terrified water nymph.

"Sorry, battle reflexes." She nodded and blushed.

"M-My Lord your-"

"Please, just Percy is fine." He smiled once more leaving the poor Naiad to somehow get her heartbeat under control.

"P-Percy, Lord Poseidon instructed me to take you to him when you awoke."

His smile broadened, "I don't supposed I could get a shirt? I' don't want to be blinding people!" he chuckled.

'Please' she thought, 'That smile is more than enough.'

"Of course My- Um…Percy." He nodded and floated off behind her.

Quite a few other Naiads almost required medical attention when Percy smiled as he floated by. When he finally got a proper shirt he floated off with the Naiad in the lead.

"Ah! Now that I remember, I never asked your name."

"Marina…"

"A beautiful and fitting name."

Poor Marina was making her best effort to not melt into the sea currents. She took a silent breathe to steady her pulse before she continues to lead Percy.

Soon enough they were in the war room where a meeting was in session.

"My Lord, Lord Percy is awake and I have brought him as you requested."

The eldest man there, wrinkled and hunched, lifted his head. The eyes were the same but Poseidon looked like he aged 100 years since the last time Percy saw. Poseidon whispered something to a dolphin who chittered a response and took off. Marina bowed and dissipated into the sea. Percy whispered a 'thank you' to Marina and the water warmed slightly about him as he approached his father.

A Merman with two tails sneered at his as he approached the council.

The side of Poseidon's eyes crinkled as he smiled, "Percy, you just missed my lieutenant Delphin. And this is my heir Triton."

Triton simply snorted, "I will attend to the front lines Father. I won't fail you."

He sneered as he floated past.

Percy finally took a look down at the tiles. They seemed to move as the forces on the battlefield did in full real time. Poseidon leaned heavily on his trident as one the blue sets was smashed to pieces. Not seconds later a massive boulder crashed through a wall in the courtyard. A courtyard that was filled with injured mermen.

"Where do you need me?"

Poseidon met his son's determined gaze and sighed.

"Your battle is not here Percy, and though Oceanus is giving me problems"

A massive serpent came spiraling down from the opening in the dome roof and Poseidon raised his trident. A blast of Sea Green energy rammed into the freight train of a sea serpent. It dissolved into a mass of goldfish that darted away.

"I will be able to handle it especially since…"

He gestured to the courtyard where they watched Briares caught a boulder and tossed it back before he smashed a massive squid away. He bellowed and took off after it, 100 hands spinning like propellers as he took off into the murky depths.

"If only I had a dozen more like him…Regardless, I must meet Oceanus in battle now. Here, you'll know when to spend it. Good luck Percy, though somehow, I get the feeling you won't need it."

He handed Percy a sand dollar and flashed on his armor before flashing out. He sighed heavily before he clipped it onto his necklace. He wondered briefly how Tyson was doing but decided that he would see his brother soon enough. He fingered the beads on his necklace hoping to gods that Bekendorf might still be alive. He willed the currents to carry him through the roof and out into open sea. He turned around and watched as the war beneath the sea lit the depths with clashes of power. He watched as a man on a chariot pulled by the absolute largest lobsters he'd ever seen, with a serpent for a sword mounted an underwater hill. He stood tall as Poseidon rolled towards his opponent. His Atlantean silver armor shone in the dark with his trident in hand as his chariot was pulled by two massive Hippocampi.

Both sea deities roared and there armies clashed as they slowly approached each other.

As the first eruptions of power clashed between the two immortals Percy crammed the currents beneath him and shot towards the surface heading straight for camp. He had a report to make.

- **With Noir, before Percy's awakening** -

The camp was in turmoil when the guards saw Noir bounding towards them from across the Sound. They were happy to see him but then they noticed the figure he was carrying. The single figure. The Apollo cabin was ready and waiting for when Noir stepped onto the beach with Bekecndorf on his back. He was badly burned and bruised, bleeding steadily from various wounds around his chest and legs. Noir laid him down with the utmost care and stepped back as the Apollo campers rushed to help him. Silena was there in a heartbeat, tears sprung to her eyes as she watched Will Solace and Lee Fletcher pulling shards of metal from his body as the rest of the cabin continued to chant hymns to Apollo. Nothing was working, they could see the rise and falls of Bekendorf's chest beginning to slow. The panicked and paling faces of the attending Apollo campers did nothing for the morale. If this was to be the first loss of the war then it would be a devastating one.

Silena was sobbing at this point, Will pulled away and Lee went to follow but Silena clamped a hand down on his wrist. He met her watering eyes and shook his head grimly. The sobs came forward more powerfully. Clarisse stepped forward and wrapped a hand around her shoulder but she shook it off and stood. She grabbed Noir by the collar dragging herself up to him.

"Do SOMETHING! Save him! Please you have to do something. Please!"

Noir simply stood as she desperately gazed at him, pleading for him to raise his hands and wave away her despair. He stared right back, the blaze of platinum a solid wall of hardness.

 _"_ _I cannot. His time had come, his fate is written and it is not my place to intervene."_

"SAVE HIM ANYWAY! I DON"T CARE ABOUT FATE I WILL NOT LET MY MISTAKE BE HIS END!"

People were confused about what she meant but Noir simply snarled. She stumbled back slightly as rage played on his features.

 _"_ _Would you have me tear apart the rest of these demi-gods fate to save his? Would you have me rend apart that which MUST be for all to prosper for your sake? Are you truly selfish enough to ask me to sacrifice whatever advantage these demi-gods have gained to save one person who fell by your action? Do YOU even know the cost of a life Silena Beuragard? DO you truly know the cost of what you ask?!"_

Silena was trembling as an ethereal wind blew his hair every which way. His platinum eyes looked like a tempest of flames as they swirled and whirled. She shook her head in the negative as she cowered, Clarisse stepped protectively in front her, trembling ever so slightly however.

 _"_ _Then know that the price of a life in another!"_ he roared, _"So who's will it be_ _ **little girl?**_ _Whose Life will you take to restore his or are you genuinely willing to give your own life for his? Is that the extent of your love or is he merely a toy to you?"_

Rage and determination replaced despair and depression. Silena bodily shoved Clarisse out of the way and drew her knife. She whipped it into a reverse grip and placed it over her heart. Her other hand shot out and grabbed Noir's and placed it over the pommel. All he had to do was push and her life would be over, regardless challenge shone in her eyes and Noir complied. Silena felt the knife pierce her skin. She closed her eyes and waited for Thanatos when the pressure in her chest was relieved. Noir was smiling softly and took the knife away from her chest. He guided her over to where Bekendorf laid, life slowly slipping away from him. They stood across from each other, Noir's hand clamped over hers as she held the knife.

 _"_ _Bring forth the Scales of Balance."_

The same scales were there but this time supersized and the three women were present in the flesh once more. The Fates stood proud and beautiful at 22, the three sun staves each glowing with in their respective state, or smouldering in the case of The Fate of Death.

 _"_ _A Life has ended against our wish. We refuse to continue forth without this souls flame. We will have him back and we shall match if not exceed the tribute."_

The scales above them almost entirely rebalanced and the Fates nodded to Noir.

He knelt with Silena and in a burst of platinum a severed string appeared in his available hand. He pressed it to Bekendorf's chest before lifting his hand and took Silena's free hand in his. Her hand held his wrist and in a motion that made her yelp drove it clean through his hand. Pure platinum flowed down engulfing the string and mending it. Soon Bekendorf's body was engulfed in a platinum glow. He took a massive gulp of air, his eyes flickering a slight platinum, and then passed out.

Noir nodded and removed Silena's knife from his hand. It melted into goop afterwards but he didn't seem too disturbed.

 _"_ _The payment has been made. A life offered, a life received, a life returned. I fulfill my end of the contract and hold the contractors to their word."_

The Fates stood before Silena and Noir, "We, as the dictators of the contract, find the terms and payments acceptable. The contract has been fulfilled. The life you have stolen from Fate…May the price have been worth it."

And on that sinister note the Fates and the Scales vanished warping of reality.

The Apollo campers shakily wheeled Bekendorf away. A glare made every other camper except for Clarisse and Silena vanish. Noir's glare went up a level as Clarisse cowered but refused to move from beside her friend. After Silena helped Clarisse and Chris get together they were the best of friends. Silena had learned how to use that dagger form someone afterall. Not to mention that was the knife Clarisse had given her that Noir had just melted. Yeah they got along and constantly sparred but they Noir was still monstrous and she had no idea what would happen to Silena. Noir had said it was a life for a life and since Silena was still standing there whatever he had to say or do to her would probably not end well.

He sighed heavily when Clarisse didn't back down, though he was slightly impressed.

 _"_ _Well I suppose you wanna know why you're still alive huh?"_

They both nodded, _"I figured that if you were willing to give up so much for him you'd probably wanna live with him, so I sacrificed something else in exchange for his life. That Advantage that allowed me to act with more power than my enemies? Yeah I have a greater restriction now, meaning I possibly won't be able to save as many lives as I'd like to in the coming war. However since I was the one to make the sacrifice on your behalf as it was your request we entered a technical contract. I provided that which you could not for you to take back that which was worth your life to you. Therefore, what do you think you owe me for returning that which was worth your life AND the life you would have paid to return it?"_

It was obvious.

"My life. I owe you it twice over."

He shook his head.

 _"_ _Unfortunately for you the actions of The First are weighted much more heavily than that. The Fates cannot even act to replace the lives they planned to take as, in essence, I have removed you from the weave of The Fates themselves. Normally you would be removed from this plane of existence for all things dictated by the Fates remain there unless such things existed before them. As such you and Bekendorf technically shouldn't exist on this plane of reality anymore. However, Bekendorf's life string was returned to the weave which means he will eventually die a natural death and achieve Elysium for his actions. You, on the other hand, owe your life not once over, not twice over either. You owe me almost 100 lifetimes Silena. That was the amount of lives I could've have guaranteed through the war. Now I can only hope to save them. Regardless, Silena Beuragard, as the provider of your desire and the fulfiller of the contract on your behalf I claim my owner ship over that which is needed to balance the scale of sacrifice. You are mine. Your Life. Your Soul. Your mind. All you shall dedicate to me and me alone. None shall hold dominion over you save myself, and until the debt is cleared so it shall remain. Approach and receive the brand for all who approach shall know that you are mine, and would they raise a hand against you they will be subjected to the full force of my power. As you are mine you fall beneath my protection. I will never abuse you. I will never betray you. Upon clearing your debt you will be guaranteed paradise in the afterlife. Until such a time has come, I will be your King."_

With a gestured Silena was before him. He splayed his hand above the ground, palm down. The earth splintered as a blade shot up.

It was a gorgeous broad sword. The blade was pure platinum and about the edge black runes glowed and shifted. The center of the blade, just above the guard, was hollow. A black and platinum whirlpool swirled into an unseen abyss. The guard itself was black as well, expanding back towards the blade in a sharp V with the tips tapering back in towards the blade, creating a ¾ diamond. The grip was fitted to his hand and the pommel was a platinum spade embossed with a void black sun. He gripped the blade and platinum flames engulfed his wrists and ankles. As they traveled up his extremities his armor began to appear, woven from the flames as they traveled over his body. His dragon scale chest piece was now obsidian centered with obsidian and his knee plates mimicked his gauntlets flames. His cowl was woven from shadows themselves and his crown was made of the same platinum flames that burned in his eyes, Floating above his head and spinning slowly. His right shoulder pauldron was a black wolf head made of some kind of light speckled material they couldn't identify. Its eyes burned with the light of a neutron star. When they looked back the sword had split to have two hollows on either side of the blade. It connected to the extremities of the guard forming a trident blade that he hefted as if it weighed nothing.

 _"_ _Silena Beuragard. Approach and kneel."_

She did just that. Noir smiled quite apologetically at her and tapped both her shoulders with the blade before driving it into the ground in front of her.

 _"_ _Rise and grab the blade."_

She complied and was engulfed in his signature flames. When the flames cleared she wore similar platinum armor except with the petal scheme as his gauntlets. Each one was cored with a vibrant sapphire. He didn't have gauntlets but her vambraces still extended far enough to cover the back of her hands. She had twin pauldrons that extended slightly outwards and the neck line of the chest plate covered her neck but wouldn't restrict movement. Her legs were clothed in a platinum plated leather battle skirt. a matching pair of obsidian and platinum greaves protected her feet. Her hair was up in a long braid, weaved with platinum lined black ribbons, and upon her brow sat a black circlet that looked of woven vines. Upon the vines platinum flowers with black centers were molded. Her brown eyes were framed in platinum eye shadow that sparkled beneath the sun and her lips remained almost nude, a slight sheen the only indication of any changes made.

Clarisse's jaw was on the floor and Silena's joined hers as she looked down at herself.

Noir only smirked.

 _"_ _As the individual in debt I will have you serve me to your greatest potential. I will help you achieve it, and I will provide you the tools to attain it with as much ease as possible. As the ruling Head, I welcome you as a retainer of my household."_

She released the blade and it was gone in a twister of platinum but her armor remained. Noir smiled softly.

 _"_ _I suppose I have to take up training you huh? Ah well! I guess you'll just have to join me at the Hunt or wherever I need to be I suppose…"_

"What?!" Clarisse exclaimed, "You can't just come in and take-"

 _Of course I can"_ he interrupted face completely serious, _"her entire being is mine. He time is mine. Her life is mine."_

Both girls looked downcast but grimly accepting.

 _"_ _However, demonstrate exceptional work ethic and I can definitely be persuaded to give you a couple weeks off every now and again?"_

His mischievous smile made the both of them groan but eventually smile. Silena was happy. She had Charlie. She had her life. Soon she would be strong enough to fight back against Kronos. She asked Clarisse to give her time to see what she would be responsible for beneath his instruction. Clarisse finally caved after she promised to talk with her as soon as possible. When she was gone she turned back to Noir who seized her hand and drew it up to where he could see the scythe charm hanging on her wrist. He grabbed it and it turned to ash, blowing away in the wind.

 _"_ _Good, now you are entirely mine."_ He nodded before he let go and it was her turn to grab him.

"What about my family? What about what we'll tell the campers? What about-"

He laughed heartily and pulled her into a hug. Suddenly she was sitting at home with her parents across from her along with her little sister.

Noir's voice echoed in her head

 _I told you. Your everything is mine including your happiness, both of which I enjoy. Since I can't force them from you I might as well do my best to make sure both stick around eh?_

With that she felt his presence leave her.

 _Just think of me when you're done. I have a feeling you have a lot to catch up on._

She lunged at her family with tears in her eyes. She happily spent the day cuddled up between her mom and sister, while her dad cooked dinner. She wasn't sure why her house was safe, or why she knew they'd be fine, but she simply chalked it up to a certain platinum eyed entity.

Percy arrived at camp just in time to see Noir disappear with someone else. He scratched his head and shrugged, deciding not to question the polymorph's actions or motives. Dealing with gods gave him a headache, dealing with existences that preceded the Primordials themselves? He couldn't be bothered. He made his way up the beach and towards the pavilion hoping he was still in time for lunch. He was quickly tackled by Travis who began dragging him to the Big House.

"Meeting now! Food later!"

If it weren't for his grim tone Percy would've groaned and whined, as it were he took off in a dead sprint trailing only slightly behind the Son of Hermes.

They walked into the Rec Room and quickly took their seats while Chiron addressed them.

"We have no time to waste waiting for Silena to return or Bekendorf to wake up so we will fill them in on the happenings of this meeting afterwards. First I'd like to congratulate Percy on the success of the mission. According to the sea nymphs the Andromeda was practically powder after the explosion. We breathe a sigh of relief and owe a great debt to Noir who denied The Fates Bekendorf's life as well. We must still address the reason for Silena's claim to fault for Charlie's state but before that there is a more pressing matter. A mist if you please Percy? "

Percy complied while Chiron used a prism to make a rainbow appear.

"Iris please accept my offer and show me the Olympians in battle!"

The image formed after Chiron tossed the drachma, though the campers had trouble believing their eyes. Glowing streaks of color zipped around a massive storm system that was making its way across the country. They could only see a ghostly hand every now and again reach out and swipe a t the gods' chariots while they hurled powerful blasts into the main body of the storm. The steps of the beats shook the Iris message itself while the campers stared in horror.

"Noir was indeed right that the target is Mt. Olympus but Typhon is only a distraction. The Olypians are busy fighting him but the most powerful of Gaia's children will not fall easily. It will be up to us to defend Olympus while the gods fight the Storm Giant. We must gather our forces and fast. I have already sent a message to the Hunt and they will meet us in the city. For now, ready weapons and supplies we will need to move out soon."

With that the counselors broke apart and Connor went to inform the Hephaestus and Aphrodite cabins of the decision in place of the respective counselors.

 _"_ _Belay that."_ Noir stepped in, _"I have one more thing to add. Poseidon is indisposed as he fights Oceanus, though Percy already knew that. Hyperion is marching with the Titans. Iapetus had been…Rehabilitated per se so we don't need to worry about him and Krios is also indisposed. Hopefully you will only be facing down Hyperion. I do know for a fact Prometheus is free but that slimy snake is so opportunistic I can't get an accurate fix on whether or not the coward will actually step up to the plate himself, or if he'll hide behind someone else. That's about it. Percy."_

The demi-god met his eyes

 _"_ _You, me, and Nico need to have a talk"_ with that he blinked the two of them away and the councillors got up to deliver the message.

And were stopped once again were interrupted as Clarisse slammed her knife into the table.

"What about MY chariot!"

Lee Fletcher growled, "I think you mean MY chariot!"

"We led the assault. We claim the loot."

"We stole it from the pile and hooked up the horses! We claimed it!"

"This is crap! We do all the hard work and you get the awards!"

"All the hard work?"

"I'm sorry were you the one on the ground surrounded by monsters?"

"We weren't without our difficulties!"

"Yeah, well now you're without the Ares cabin."

She stood up leaving her knife in the table facing the shocked campers.

"The Ares cabin has been disrespected too many times as simple mindless brutes only good for fighting and brawling. Now our honor has been marred and you will fight without this cabin."

She roughly shouldered her way through the rest of the councillors, her blade a harrowing tomb stone to the proverbial death of the Ares cabins support. They all shared grim looks as they moved off to inform the rest of the campers. This was not going to go well.

Percy, Noir, and Nico stood at the edge of the clearing where a single jaw was clenching.

"You can't be serious Nico."

 _"_ _Perce, you speared him with fifty pounds of force over an area less than a square micrometer and he stumbled instead of being shish kebabed. I don't need access to the time stream to tell you that what he's suggesting is the only way Luke could possibly house an immortal in a mortal body without disintegrating."_

"But the Styx? Really?"

"Yes Percy! It's the only way you'll be able to fight on par with Kronos!"

 _"_ _Not to mention it'll keep you from getting your soul reaped."_

Percy wined both at the recollection of the cut he received from Backbiter and the last lines of the Great Prophecy Chiron had filled him in on.

"Fine…"

"Great! But we have to retrace Luke's steps first. We need to make sure we get all the steps right, which means we have someone to visit. Noir are you ready?"

 _"_ _Lead on little goth!"_

" . -"

They were already gone.

-Line Break-

They reappeared near a Colonial house in Connecticut. The house they were facing had its walkway lined with little stuffies of Greek monsters. The place looked almost haunted with weeds breaching the gaps in the stone walkway. The tiny Medusa seemed to smirk at him while excessive amounts of wind chimes set an eerie tune.

 _"_ _Well…Who wants to knock then?"_

Percy and Nico dropped a step as they walked up and Noir found himself at the door with the two behind him.

 _"_ _I have been betrayed it seems."_

The two boys stifled a laugh and he knocked.

His knuckle had barely touched the door when it swung open.

"LUKE!" the old lady called. She looked like she enjoyed sticking her finger in light sockets with the way her white hair was sticking out everywhere. Suddenly Nico and Noir had swapped places. Now it was Nico who was being hugged viciously while Percy struggle to reign in a chuckle before she fixed wild eyes on her.

"LUKE!" suddenly Percy was in a crushing hug. Gods her wiry frame belied her strength and her gaze ghosted over Noir and Percy looked horrified as she grabbed his and Nico's wrists and dragged them inside as Noir simply trailed behind. They were both seated at a table while May Castellan flitted about, making sandwiches and pouring lemonade. On one counter was a stack of trays filled with burnt cookies and on another was a stack of Tupperware bowls filled with peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.

You could tell the older ones that seemed to have a melted green mess in them. Noir's face was fixed on pure remorse as he watched Luke's mother. She was pulling another tray of pitch black lumps out of the oven when Nico finally spoke up.

"Ms. Castellan-"

"Yes dear?"

"When was the last time you saw your son?"

She froze momentarily and her smile faltered before it came back more strained than before.

"He came back, looking sad and frantic. Asking for my blessing before he up and vanished again."

Her smile was borderline creepy as she laid out a meal in front of them before turning back and washing lemonade pitchers. Nico nodded to Percy and they both rose and made to leave when Percy felt a grip of iron on his arm and was swung around.

May Castellan's eyes were a reptilian green as she rasped, "A horrible fate! Terrible! Suffering pain! Death and Hatred! The Fate of the damned!"

Percy stumbled back before Noir gently removed her hands from Percy. Nico scrambled out the door while Percy backed up slowly watching as Noir gently held the frail woman whose face was streaked with tears as she continued to rasp about a painful end.

 _"_ _Sleep child for your sight is your torture, you have opened your eyes to events you could not know, and now your clarity is your curse._ _ **Sleep child**_ _."_

The force of the intonation made May slumped into his arms. Noir held her like she was centimeter thick porcelain and gently set her on the couch where continued to breathe evenly.

He and Left the house to find Nico and Mrs. O' Leary playing further up the hill.

"Shall we get a move on then?"

Noir shook his head. _"We have another meeting to attend before we can leave. Follow."_

He didn't wait for a response and led them into the nearby woods where he sat them down in a clearing. Not a second later a campfire burst to life in front of them and Hestia stepped out of the flames. She saw Noir and kind of scowl/grimaced and he gave her a teasing smirk. Percy knew something had happened there but decided against asking.

He and Nico bowed while Noir walked closer smiling smugly.

 _"_ _What? No hug?"_

Hestia would've looked murderous if not for the golden blush though the fiery turmoil that was her eyes was still pretty scary. Despite the warning in her eyes, Noir still swept her up in a hug and sat down placing the child like goddess in his lap upon which she punched him but didn't move. She settled into his chest with a huff while Noir rubbed his arm smiling cheekily.

She turned and addressed the demi-gods before her. "Sit heroes. I believe you had a trying visit with Ms. Castellan."

She waved her hand and all sort of foods appeared in a flash of flames. Roast beef, warm buttered breads, mashed potatoes with hearty gravies, and much more. The kind of home cooked meal every family should have but never does. Percy thought he wouldn't be hungry after the moldy peanut butter sandwiches and chocolate chip charcoal **(A/N: Say that 3 times fast!)** but found himself practically inhaling a roast beef sandwich he put together in record time. He saw Nico indulging himself just as much while Noir chatted quietly with Hestia. Their faces were completely serious and they turned back to the demi-gods when they finished eating.

"Are you sure you wish to continue down the same path of power as Luke did?"

"It is the only way Milady."

The Hearth flared into a column of unnaturally red flames before they died down once more.

"The greatest power sometimes is to know when to yield. Do you understand?"

Percy nodded vigorously while Hestia smiled slightly. "I like you. Not to proud and a good portion humble. When Dionysus was awarded godhood I stepped down to prevent a civil war."

"The council was unbalanced then, 7 guys and 5 girls."

She nodded, "There come times when you must back down Perseus. For now, know that when you are in need come to the Hearth. I am always there. I cannot do much but I can return you to your own Hearth."

The world flipped upside down and then went black.

When the world righted itself Percy was in his living room with Nico and Mrs. O'Leary's head was poking in. She woofed happily shaking the apartment while a muffled voice called out.

"Sally! When did we get shag carpet wa- GAH!" THUMP

Percy guessed Mrs. O'Leary's tail had flattened the unknown speaker while his mom walked in from the kitchen. She saw Percy, then Nico, and then Noir blinked in as well.

 _"_ _Long time no see Mrs. Jackson. Sorry bout the dog, but she's not one for the outdoors."_

He chuckled while she eyed the massive hellhound before turning a glare on Percy.

He swallowed nervously and let out a chuckle, "Hey mom…I thought you always wanted a dog?"

The glare intensified.

It took a little bit of shifting and a mock earth quake before everyone was seated in the Kitchen while Mrs. O'Leary's head sat in the door way. Paul Blofis, the mortal Percy's mom had been studying with from her program, was at the table as well, in a bathrobe, covered in coarse black hair, while his own looked like it had been through a wind tunnel.

"So let me get this straight. The Greek gods are real and based in New York?"

"Yup" said Nico.

"You're half gods?"

"Yeah" Percy chuckled out

"The Titan Lord is rising and wants to destroy Western Civilization?"

"Unfortunately" Sally muttered out

"And now you're on the way to the Underworld to obtain a blessing which will melt away your soul if it fails to fight a force that controls the part of the fabric of reality alongside an entity that existed before him who's helping keep other existences like him form obliteration all possible opposing forces and taking over all of Reality?"

 _"_ _Yeah pretty much sums up my average Thursday really."_

Mrs. O'Leary let out a world shaking WOOF! To make sure they hadn't forgot about her. Sally tossed her a T-bone that disappeared in a flash of teeth. Paul was quiet before a smile broke his face, "Remarkable!"

The assembly blinked once. Then twice.

 _"_ _Huh?"_ Noir summed up for them.

"It's not every day you meet a being that's been alive since the beginning of the world! Or even get confirmation of ACTUAL gods that interact with mortals! Wait…if the legends are true then are the golden apples as well? Can one acquire one and-"

He was cut off as Noir conjured a golden apple as if it were nothing.

Four pairs of eyes widened before he made it vanish again.

" .GODS!"

 _"_ _Alright Alright save the fan girling we still have matters to attend to."_

Paul nodded in understanding and went to play with Mrs. O'Leary while Nico filled Sally in on the plan. To say she was shocked was an understatement.

"Absolutely not! I forbid it I can't have you going off-"

"Mom." Percy interrupted her tirade. "I need to do this. My friends, innocent lives are at stake. I'm the only one who can and I need to start here."

She was about to start again when Paul clapped a hand on her shoulder keeping her from saying anything. She looked angry before she looked resigned. An understanding passed between Percy and Paul before Sally broke his grip and stormed over to Noir. She grabbed him by the collar, pulled him out of the chair, and slammed him bodily into the wall.

"I don't care what you have to do to make sure he comes back in one piece. I don't want to know what you'll have to do, but you WILL make sure he comes back. AM. .STOOD?"  
Noir's eyes were wide along with everyone else's. Even Mrs. O'Leary covered her eyes with her paws.

Then he began to laugh. It wasn't loud but it was laced with power. The air began to vibrate and the water in their glasses started to float. The windows warped, the floor seemed to turn to liquid, and the table bent at the middle making it look like an 'M'. He continued to laugh but Sally didn't back down. He finally stopped and wiped tears from eyes that boiled the air with power. He stared right back with an almost feral smile and for the first time, Percy was truly afraid of Noir, especially when his hand raised towards his mother. He tried to move but couldn't and began getting more worried by the second as the cabinets began to flake to pieces. His hand finally reached above her head and exploded into flames.

Sally did not flinch.

He brought it down rapidly and- patted her head. Reality seemed to shatter into pieces, and when the shards cleared the apartment was back to normal and Noir was once again seated, except with his feet on the table and Sally was back where she started. She looked at Noir and he winked. She knew what she just thought had happened hadn't happened. At least on this plane of reality. As if reading her thoughts he nodded. She hardened her demeanor and crushed Percy in a hug.

"You will always have my blessing. Now make sure you win this and come home in one piece otherwise no more cookies for you."

He gave her a cheeky smile and kissed her cheek before Noir waved his hands and Percy, Nico, and Mrs. O'Leary were gone. Noir remained before giving Paul a slightly predatory smile.

 _"_ _Make sure you keep her close. I might like her more than I should."_

With a suggestive wink to the both of them he was gone as well.

-Line Break-

Percy, Nico, and Mrs. O'Leary appeared in what looked like a park.

"Where's…?"

Noir blinked in a second after.

Nico fixed him with a look, "What were you doing?"

Noir smirked, _"Paul."_ Percy laughed his head off while Nico spluttered and turned incredibly red. His pale complexion did nothing to help with the situation. He wondered if Noir knew about…

A subtle nod Noir gave made him want to dig a hole but the reassuring smile that followed made him think otherwise. Noir noticed Percy bent over at the hip laughing too hard to see and made a zipping motion over his lips and smiled brightly. Nico felt the vice on his heart loosen and joined the laughter. When they finally calmed down Percy's face scrunched.

"I can sense Grover, sort of. It's fuzzy, like his end isn't receiving properly. I'll see if I can't get through to him."

Percy closed his eyes and squinted in concentration. Knowing that this tended to take longer than the performer thought, Noir conjured a pack of cards and waggled his eyebrows at Nico. The son of Hades smirked in response and sat down cross legged. He'd spent enough time in the Lotus to know exactly how to play.

Five minutes later Nico and Noir were staring intently at each other. Both had their shoes, socks, and shirt sitting beside their respective owner. Percy opened his eyes and raised a brow at the two.

"Do I wanna know?"

 _"_ _Old maid was boring and we didn't having anything to bet for Texas Hold 'Em so we decided on Strip Poker. We'd stop at Boxers but we did double bets where you could remove two pieces of clothing, put one piece on and remove one from your opponent, or put back on two pieces of clothing. I'm not playing with powers or setting the deck so it's all chance right now and I refuse to lose."_

Nico grunted in agreement before Grover dropped out of the trees with a surprised bleat right onto their game scattering the cards. Both threw their hands which consisted of 2 aces each. They saw each other's hands and groaned. Noir flashed their clothes back on. They stood and hauled Grover up with them.

 _"_ _This ain't over Di Angelo"_

"Yeah, I still have to leave you in your drawers in front of the campers."

 _"_ _Wrong! Get a tan ghost boy otherwise you'll blind everyone with all the sunlight you'll reflect without ya T-shirt!"_

"Oh No! You'll-"

"A'ight A'ight! You both pledge your imminent domination over the other through your absolute power. Can we move on now? You're starting to sound like every bloody opponent I've faced so far that can manage coherent speech."

Both glared at Percy, and then at each other, before huffing and turning away.

Percy and Grover shared a look and a smile as the two walked off in a seemingly random direction as Nico led slightly, bickering but smiling slightly. Percy was happy to see Nico smiling, he still felt horrid about Bianca but at least now he can make sure nothing happens to Nico. He was slightly uneased at how frantic Nico was about getting him to the Underworld but quickly dismissed it. He and Grover trailed behind with Mrs. O'Leary behind them.

"What happened to you anyway G-man? It felt like you were asleep on the other end before I woke you."

"I was. I was recruiting the nature spirits in the area when I felt a disturbance in the area. I approached and found this man who was walking through the park. Mortals would just curl up as he passed and fall asleep. When He was gone they would get up and continue on as if nothing happened. I confronted him, asking who he was and what he was doing. He simply laughed saying he'd give me a nap. I tried to get away but I couldn't look away. His face Percy, it was just a blur, constantly changing and with each one I kept getting sleepier. The Dryads that go me here said I just curled up and went to sleep. Speaking of which, what month is it?"

"August." Percy replied

Grover paled, "I've been asleep for two months…" he whispered.

 _"_ _You're lucky you woke up at all. You encountered Morpheus, God of Sleep. A, so called,_ minor _god that works under Kronos. I repeat myself when I say, you are_ _ **incredibly**_ _lucky you woke up at all."_

Grover nodded and gulped as the group came to a halt.

They came to a rock pile in the middle of a clearing.

"The Doors of Orpheus. We'll need to provide some sort of music."

Percy shook his head, "I don't sing man."

Grover piped up, "I can play a few bars of Nirvana that can split rocks."

The other three winced and Noir patted Grover's shoulder, _"I got you covered bro."_

 _We come running  
We come running  
We come running  
We come running_

Under a pale blue sky  
You never felt so cold  
Another sleepless night  
How could you ever let go  
How do you recognize  
The dirty face of gold  
Behind that crooked line  
Where you never knew you'd go

Headed for the open door  
Tell me what you're waiting for  
Look across the great divide  
Soon they're gunna hear  
The sound, the sound, the sound  
When we come running  
Never go where we belong  
Echoes in the dead of dawn  
Soon they're gunna know  
The sound, the sound, the sound  
When we come running

The sound, the sound, the sound  
When we come running

When the worlds gone quiet  
I see you dancing slow  
Feeling satisfied  
Where you never knew you'd go

Headed for the open door  
Tell me what you're waiting for  
Look across the great divide  
Soon they're gunna hear  
The sound, the sound, the sound  
When we come running  
Never go where we belong  
Echoes in the dead of dawn  
Soon they're gunna know  
The sound, the sound, the sound  
When we come running

The sound, the sound, the sound  
When we come running

Days go by  
Feeling broke and tired  
Remember  
Always remember

The sound, the sound, the sound  
When we come running  
The sound, the sound, the sound  
When we come running

Headed for the open door  
Tell me what you're waiting for  
Look across the great divide  
Soon they're gunna hear  
The sound, the sound, the sound  
When we come running  
Never go where we belong  
Echoes in the dead of dawn  
Soon they're gunna know  
The sound, the sound, the sound  
When we come running

The sound, the sound, the sound  
When we come running!

As Noir finished the rocks shook and ground apart, a horrid grating sound that made the group cringe after Noir's grand serenade. The saw stairs that seemed to descend to the center of the earth. In a way that was true. The only light was a single green flamed torch near the entrance that Nico removed from the stand. Mrs. O'Leary raced down the stairs and Nico followed behind at a slower pace. Grover grumbled about never going underground again and walked off, saying something about heading back to camp and getting the nature spirits ready.

Percy went to follow and Noir grabbed his shoulder.

 _"_ _Semper Fi Perseus."_

With that he headed first. Percy recognized the Latin saying as 'Keep the Faith' a military slogan and worried slightly since Noir had never used his full name. He took the words to heart and began the long trek to the afterlife.

 **A/N: The song is We Come Running by YoungBloodHawk and I do not own it but it is a good listen. If I genuinely don't get a review for 13K words I have no idea how to please you people.**


	21. Chapter 23

**A/N: Yo back again after what feels like FOREVER! I am really sorry but my program is eating my free time alive and between home work and sleep not too much work being done. I already have 24 laid out (In like outline form) but there's still a lot of work to be done before it's up to par. Since the uploads are gonna be slow I focused on content and this Chap is gonna be wild so pull on your Try Hard Panties and prepare yourselves. Notha 10K words getting at you right now. Hope y'all enjoy and I'll see ya in the next update.**

 **-Yours truly CasualGryphon**

Chapter 23: Voracity

The decent to the Underworld was basically a game of don't slip, fall, and snap your neck. The stairs were damp and the edges rounded so the Group (save Mrs O'Leary and Noir of course) had to walk with the greatest of care. They had long since lost sight of their hellhound companion in the gloom but kept going steadily with Nico leading the way. Noir kept grumbling about something muddled in the future and the set course being meddled with. The tone of voice didn't exactly ease Percy's worries but he decided to dismiss it. If anything happened, he just needed to stay out of the way and let Noir handle it if he couldn't manage. He knew he shouldn't rely on the polymorph but it didn't hurt to have the monster lupine as the fall back plan.

He tossed the thoughts out of his mind as he started to hear a faint roaring that only intensified as they got closer. They were spit out on the Hades side of the underworld, the River Styx off to their left and the EZ death line off to their right. Percy was about to step forward when he noticed two things.

1: Noir was gone

2: Nico was leading him towards Hades palace.

"I thought we were supposed to be going to the Styx?"

Percy questioned.

"I have to grab something from my room in Hades palace. It imperative for this and Hades won't even leave his throne. He probably won't even notice we're here, not to mention the Furies are out to lunch. It'll take two minutes."

"Then go quickly Nico. I'll wait here. If you get caught your dad won't think twice of it."

"NO!" he exclaimed a little too loud, "I mean, I need you to carry it. If I touch it it'll ruin the effect."

Percy bit his lip. He knew with Noir gone something that had to happen was about to occur, he had likely left to keep himself from interfering and ruining the whole lot.

 _Semper Fi_

He nodded and let Nico lead him towards the palace, hoping this would be a nice quick in and out.

-Line Break-

Percy was six different shades of wrong and another fifty shades of pissed.

He was sitting in a cold cell after Nico brought him straight to Hades. Hades had, of course, deceived the poor kid with a promise of telling him about his mother but that still didn't make it any better. He was still caged in a room with no windows or doors and there was still an entire war to fight for the sake of humanity and whatnot. If he ever got out of there he was going to sock that little goth a new one. Granted of course he didn't suffocate first since he wasn't sure his cell was being fed air, what with the lack of windows and doors.

Eventually sleep laid claim to Percy's consciousness. He dreamt of course but it was weird scattered images. Animals that clashed but as they struck the forms lit and suddenly they weren't so recognizable. Beasts unlike anything he had ever seen waged war across a battlefield unlike anything he had ever seen before. They walked upon the surface of stars as the fought. Multi-armed half scorpions dueled pincer vs. blade as wolves with mantis claws erupting from their shoulders grouped to kill one of the hulking monsters, losing many in the process. What would have been elephants, if not for the massive club like growth on the end of their tusks along with multiple pairs of eyes and great spires of bone protruding from their backs', tucked into tightly rolled spheres and quite literally rolled over their opposition.

Fierce feline like creatures seemed to flow through the battle field. Like Noir they had 2 sets of fore legs but only two tails in comparison to his 10. The difference didn't stop there. Their bodies were scaled, not small individual scales like a snake mind you, massive sharpened plates that overlapped and fused in places making them look like that armadillo/ant eater thing he'd seen on discovery channel. A pangolin? Yeah that's right, a pangolin. They moved with extraordinary grace and flexibility as they used claw, fang, and scale to tear their way through those that challenged them. From above spears rained upon everyone, and the star itself split as something, no. _Someone_ rose from in between the bisected halves.

 ** _"_** ** _Is this what you wanted when you quested for a perfect kingdom Equality?! Death to thousands and the distortion of reality itself? Do you want to have this existence rip itself apart for your petty squabbles?! And you!"_**

The voice spat with a perceptible amount of venom as the nearest still fighting creatures began to steam beneath its gaze.

 ** _"_** ** _I have left you fucking children to your own devices for far too long. You have become spoiled and far more greedy than you should be, even for the embodiments of passions."_**

What Percy could only assume was Equality's forces cheered before he/it/them turned his ferocious gaze upon them. They quickly backed up a couple steps and in some cases far more.

 ** _"_** ** _I have slept in hopes of letting my mate domain run rampant and bring brightness to this reality yet in my naivety I have forgotten the self-entitled children I had thought I'd taught better. NEITHER OF YOUR FORCES DESERVE MY AIDE!_**

His bellow drove the halves of the star farther apart. And all was dead quiet before he spoke one more.

 ** _"_** ** _And now for invoking my domain and running rampant across the galaxies, leaving the True Balance to fall into Chaos neither of you nor your forces deserve my amnesty. My Queen forgive me and may we start again, but for all new beginnings…"_**

Both forces were running with all of their might, even Percy in his dream state felt like he could make it to the other end of the solar system at a dead sprint, oxygen be damned.

 ** _"_** ** _There must be an END!"_**

The scene simply went black. Percy looked around expecting a 'BOOM!'. A bright flare that signaled the reduction of all that was being torn asunder but received nothing. Absolutely nothing. It hit him like a bus hits a bug. There was nothing since everything hand been rendered nothing.

"My dear…Wasn't this a bit excessive?"

 ** _"_** ** _For children they act as though they are old and wise. They act as if they know better and know I have taught them they know naught. They will be back and by then we will have brought everything back to Balance."_**

"What do you mean 'we'? I think you mean I will restore Balance"

Percy couldn't help that this second angelic voice sounded supremely smug.

A low chuckle sounded throughout the void.

 ** _"_** ** _Of Course my Queen. YOU will restore balance. For Destruction is all I know and all I have been. But with you my dear I am more than I ever could have been."_**

The sheer affection the first voice had for the second was palpable.

"And with you I am whole and balanced. You are my beginning and my End, you are my infinite second chance."

 ** _"_** ** _Together"_** "Together"

 _ **"**_ _ **We are Whole.**_ " "We are Whole."

Percy jumped awake when he felt a hand on his shoulder, and before the sleep had left his vision he had his perceived foe pinned beneath him with Riptide at his throat

"Per-cy! We ne-ed to go! Now!"

"And why" he snarled tightening his grip a bit, "would I go anywhere with you?"

"I didn't know! Now we have to go otherwise neither of us are getting out of here!"

Seeing no other option Percy let go. Nico dropped and coughed a bit before getting up. He gave Percy a sorrowful glance before he waved his hand and the door opened. Percy had thought they were going to have a bad time sneaking through a palace full of skeletons that served Hades but every time they did Nico would wave his hand and the light in their eyes would dim.

"I can put them to sleep sort of but it won't last too long. We should have enough time to sneak out however."

Even though he said that each bone pile he put to sleep made Nico himself look like he needed to sleep himself. By the time they were out of the palace and heading towards the Styx Percy was practically dragging Nico along beside him.

"Sorry. With great power comes great need to take a nap."

Percy chuckled despite his residual anger and gently lowered Nico to the ground as they rested by the bank of the roaring river of broken dreams and promises. It was just like what Percy had seen on his first trip to the underworld. Laden with diplomas and contracts, children's toys, cribs, keys (house or car he didn't know), and for irony's sake a surf board with a shark bite out of it. So many dreams cast away upon a person's death.

And he was going to swim in it.

He looked to Nico for some sort of reassurance but he was past out on the black sand of the banks, snoring slightly. Percy sighed and steeled his will.

'For the good of humanity' he thought and stepped towards the river.

"Halt! Beware all who seek the blessing of the Styx."

Percy looked up to see a man. He was what you would expect out of a typical greek what with the armor and massively plumed helm, however there was one oddity to this spirit. Sticking out of his ankle was a bloody arrow.

"Achilles?" the demi-god questioned.

The spirit nodded, "In life I was a great warrior and now in death I guard the banks of the Styx to warn others seeking my powers of the hell that follows. You will be a grand soldier, of course, but this is a curse as much as a blessing. Your home will no longer be soft beds and linen sheets, a family far beyond you. Accepting this mantle will change you, and your heart will forever remain on the field of war. This is a blessing and a curse for a warrior and warrior you shall remain should you take it on. Proceed at your own caution demi-god and know it is no light task to acquire this mantle. One cannot become a god through invincibility as this is a blessing for men and men alone. Remember what keeps you human, or be burned away and lost in the flow just like all these forgotten dreams."

With that Achilles was gone leaving Percy on the bank.

 _"_ _I know it'll be hard Percy but it is the course of Fate. Without this the world will fall but ultimately it is up to you. You must pick a spot on your body Percy that will be your mortal anchor, so when you step into that river make sure you have what and who keeps you fighting in this world at the forefront of you mind._

 _And always remember Semper Fi."_

Noir's voice left him as he stood there contemplating, the world vs. his happiness. He groaned cursing his loyalty and stepped into the river.

-Line Break-

 **Percy P.O.V**

I would love to say that I bravely waded into the waters and in a feat of pure manliness slowly sank beneath the surface but the truth is the second the water touched my feet my legs went numb and I face planted into the river. I sank beneath the surface and the only thing I knew was pain. Inconceivable pain was being drilled into my skull. It felt like someone had flood my system with lava and then turned my pain receptors up to 11. Then electrocuted me for good measure. I tried to scream but nothing came out since my throat felt like I had downed a cup of 10 molar hydrochloric acid (What? I can be smart to ya know?) **(A/N: *Fist bumps with Percy*)**. It felt like I was melting, and suddenly I was. I could feel my skin peeling away and my muscles liquefying. All the events of my life streamed through my head as my memories began to melt away as well. I was losing it. Just as mom's face began to fade the image changed and sharpened.

"Gods you're such a Sea Weed Brain! Come on you doofus!"

Annabeth was smiling down at me. I had fallen into the lake and she held her hand out to me. I took and everything came back, my body, my memory, my purpose.

'Peace for the ones I love in a world we can be happy in'

I focused on the small of my back, easily protected when I wore my armor and hard to hit if you didn't know where it was. The tug got stronger, like a bungee cord snapping tight and I pulled with all my might.

I burst through the surface of the water and onto the banks where Nico was now sitting heaving. I watched in slight fascination as my skin steamed before returning to its normally tan color. I breathed a sigh of relief and Nico helped me up. I took what Noir had said to heart and pulled him into a hug to which he yelped at.

"I forgive you ok?" I felt him nod and let him go but not before socking him. Hard.

"Now don't do it again. Tell me ahead of time, I'd be glad to help you get to talk to your mom. My mom means the world to me and if yours was still here I'm sure you'd say the same."

Nico looked like he was about to cry but fought it down and gave me a confidant nod.

Our bro moment was not to last as a war horn called and an undead army climbed the hills before the stretch to the beach. I snarled as I saw who was leading it before mimicking Noir and pulling a smile that was all malice.

"Oh look! Company!"

 **P.O.V Shift 3** **rd**

Most people over estimate Percy's gentle side all too often. He was a hardened kid from New York, where he lived with only his mother and a scumbag who had beat him. When they got away from the scumbag he was tossed into a world of monsters, war, suffering, and death while his mom was kidnapped by the god of the Underworld. So to say that his smile would have made the Kraken run for his mother is not a understatement. And Hade army was on the receiving end of it.

"Surrender yourself Jackson so I don't have to break every bone in your body!"

Wrong thing to say. Percy was pissed. Beyond pissed. Nico couldn't talk to his mom, his sister was dead, he's an outcast at camp, demi-gods are being sacrificed for a war born out of the god's arrogance, and now they wanted to capture just so they could USE their children to be more respected. Percy's rage exploded and so did the Styx. The tidal surge of Styx water hit the army like a tank. Bones were smashed, weapons went flying, and the soldiers began to melt in the black waters of the cursed river. Percy wasn't far behind and charged right into the middle of their forces.

Bullets were fired, bayonets flashed, swords were swung. Nothing touched Percy. Riptide was a bronze blur of pure destruction and in that moment Perseus Jackson embodied his name. He was the Destroyer as he flipped and twisted around blades and bullets. He slashed, parried, rolled, reposted; every movement as liquid as his element. It was like a burst of water at high pressure, a lethal blade. Percy cut through the army and leaped from where he was on the ground, tackling Hades clean out of his chariot. With Hades pinned beneath him and Riptide at his nose, Percy took the time to look around. Weapons were strewn every which way and not a single skeleton remained. He had obliterated the army. He turned back to Hades and pressed Riptide into his nose.

"You can't kill me, I'm immortal!"

"Then I can at least make this hurt like hell."

Hades paled (If that's possible) and melted through the floor leaving Percy gripping onto his robes.

Percy looked at the wailing souls and tossed them into the river.

"Better than being his clothes…"

"PERCY!"

He was launched away from where he stood. Two massive jaws shut behind him and when he looked back he barely made out violent purple eyes sinking into the ground. Leaving Percy and Nico standing a few feet apart.

With Nico missing his arms.

 **(A/N: *Maniacal Laughter*)**

Percy watched horrified as his friend fell flat on his face, the stubs of his arms doing nothing to prevent his impact.

"NOIR!" His anger and despair shaking a good portion of the Underworld

Just like that the Hybrid was there with pure rage dancing across his features. Never had Percy seen such a profound anger. The Styx boiled in his presence and the sand nearest to them was melting into glass. Percy thought he was just not interfering but he looked like he had just fought a war. He was covered in scratches and scrapes, a suspicious orange liquid dripped off his gauntlets, and his clothing was torn to bits.

 _"_ _A FUCKING DISTRACTION!? YOU FUCKING HAD THE BALLS TO PULL FROM THE FIGHT AND NOT EVEN BOTHER TO FACE ME YOURSLEVES YOU ARROGANT SHITS!"_

Eerie laughter was all they got in response, but it wasn't one voice, it was many. Noir roared and the Underworld shook. Percy put a hand on his shoulder as the ground around them began to bubble with lava.

"We don't have time. We need to grab Nico and get him healed. We need to get back to camp as well. This was a pre-emptive strike that may or may not have killed me but in the least knocked me out of the fight. We need to go, and fast."

Noir looked like he might explode before he took in the blood on Percy's shirt where he was cradling Nico to his chest. He cursed beneath his breath.

 _"_ _Stop the bleeding but don't cauterize the wounds yet. If you have to, get Apollo. If asks why, tell him because I said so and he likes having his head attached to his neck. I'm sending you ahead. I need to find the Fates. We're due for a chat."_

With that Percy was at Camp Half-Blood.

The Camp was in an uproar when Percy appeared in the middle of the cabins. Hestia was first on the scene saying Noir had contacted her to help.

Chiron looked grim, Annabeth looked horrified, and the rest of the campers were in varying states of rage. They might not have liked Nico as much as other campers, but nothing will keep a demi-god from getting pissed when one of their siblings were hurt. After all, they were just one huge fucked up family, but a loyal fucked up family.

Percy had the crowd part and carried the Son of Hades to the Apollo cabin.

"Apollo!" he called to the heavens, "Noir asks your assistance!"

He was there in a flash. **(A/N: I had to XD)**

"What's going dow- OH HADES!" Nico was pale. Not his normal pale, but deathly pale. Apollo quickly went to the ends of his arms to repair them but he was stopped.

 _"_ _I've suspended time about them, I need you to help me accelerate his blood production levels. If we use ambrosia it'll ruin the chances of giving him arms again."_

"Um…" Started Michael Yew, "Don't we need his original arms to reattach?"

 _"_ _Who said we were using the originals?"_

Using his ten tails he quickly herded them out the door saying something about too many distractions as he was trying to specifically target cells inside of a living body with minimal to no side effects. Annabeth Joined Percy as he sat outside the Apollo cabin waiting for new on his friend. Hestia joined the two, providing a warm aura to the downcast and tired demi-god. Chiron stood not too far away discussing something with Hermes who had popped up looking for Apollo. He cantered over looking very worried but dismissed Percy and Annabeth when they looked up.

"We have to have a war council. We've got reports that the army has been spotted heading for New York. This will be the last council before we head to war. Thankfully we have all the councillors present."

Percy almost jumped up, "Then Bekendorf?"

"Woke up while you were gone doing whatever you were doing. He's in good health though with the change to Silena's attitude and attire I have a feeling that there is some explaining to do." Chiron cantered off the alert the other councillors of the approaching war council.

Annabeth rested her head on Percy's shoulder while he and Hestia chatted idly, both claiming their respective mothers made the best cookies. Percy had challenged Hestia to a mother-off which was hilarious considering Queen Rhea was a bloody Titan.

"She could be a four headed dragon demon and my mom would still fight her."

Percy's response had the trio giggling like fools while they waited.

Noir opened the door not too long later.

Nico was awake and a little less than pleased looking as they walked in.

"I know you're supposed to disarm your opponent but this is ridiculous…"

Unknown to him the entire assembly had heard him grumbling. The rest of the campers were there soon enough, watching as 2 gods, 2 demi-gods, and a polymorph all laughed uproariously while leaving a blushing Nico to imagine slapping the lot of them.

"If I had arms…" he threatened.

They soon died down to chuckles as Noir stepped up.

 _"_ _So yeah, I could reattached your original arms but considering they were half melted and sorta chewed I figured I'd replace 'em altogether if that's okay with you. I'm not too precise with the reformation of lost limbs since the feeling of having arms is so normal to most. I can replace them though they will be sorta mechanical."_

"So am I going to be looking like Edward Elric or am I going to get something a little something smoother?"

Noir blinked and chuckled slightly at the reference.

 _"_ _I could have you looking like the Full Metal Alchemist don't get me wrong but because I'll spawn the limbs out of my power they'll come with a standard form. They'll be like layered snake scale. Because, as a law, power can be transformed as long as the amount stays constant they'll be dense so don't go doing any swimming without telling me so I can adjust the material density. For you they'll feel like your normal arms but they'll let you hit a whole lot harder. As for transformations, imagine it. I'll let you decide what they can or can't do, just remember as it doesn't matter what it is as long as the amount limit isn't exceeded. They can be transformed into a liquid state for faster weapon swaps but even if a little gets shaved off it'll come back so you can't lose them again. Now then, forming them will be easy, reorienting your nerve cells to manage them…that might hurt. Like, a lot so heads up man."_

Noir conjured a leather belt for Nico to bite into and then began to work.

Liquid platinum poured form his finger tips and began to roughly take shape. Crude finger bones formed out of the metal before the metacarpals and carpals followed. Next the wrists filled in to a proper thickness and before the two ulnas and two radius' formed. The join for the elbows formed, before continuing up to where his arms had been removed. The platinum attached to the visible bone before the platinum started to web over the bones. Metallic threads twisted together and layered into platinum strips forming muscles over and in between the bones. A thinner layer of platinum began to form, first over the fingers, fabricating nails and then silver skin.

"Why is this taking so long?" Annabeth questioned as she watched on in fascination.

 _"_ _Bones and muscles are naturally dense but skin usually isn't particularly dense in comparison. Yes it's the largest organ on the body but not necessarily the densest. You get the standard three layers, in which the third houses a good portion of the circulatory system. Since these arms aren't fully organic and only partially I can focus on cramming as much material as possible into the surface area. They'll look and feel exactly the same but the possibilities will make Iron Man's suit look like a beat up Ford Model T."_

Annabeth nodded.

"So what will he have to worry about for maintenance?"

 _"_ _Power induced kiddo. He could probably super heat these things to ridiculous levels and burn away everything on the surface. Though his blood isn't flowing through them they will acclimate to his powers. He'll probably get more powerful as a side effect of the merging of the two energy sources. My recommendation would be to store a portion of his own powers into them right after the acclimation, it'll make the control and management of the limb easier."_

He directed his speech to an attentive Nico,

 _"_ _Also I'd recommend meditation with them. Focusing on the natural feel of the limbs as you flow power into them will be beneficial to the bonding process. Your body can't reject them like a transferred organ but it will make the reaction time between thought and execution shrink until it's none existent. You can also store a portion of your energy in them for future use. Anyway here comes the hard part. After this we'll take a trip down to the lake center for further discussion on your powers. For now bite down."_

Noir placed the strap in Nico's mouth. He gripped his shoulders as the last bit of platinum skin connected.

 _"_ _Count of 3…3!"_

There was a sizzle and a muffled scream as the prosthetics bonded to Nico's body. The process lasted about as long as Nico's scream after which he promptly collapsed in bed. He spat out the belt and breathed hard with his new arms by his side. He looked down and twitched his fingers. He smiled softly before he slipped out of consciousness.

 _"_ _To be honest I expected him to pass out right off the bat. Strong kid this one, 'specially since he already moved his fingers. Welp, physiotherapy shouldn't take too long with 'im then. He'll be shifting forms soon enough. Speaking of which, form state, standard."_

Nico's hands shifted slightly. His hands stayed humanoid but the rest of the arm quickly became covered in snake scale as Noir had mentioned before. He nodded, satisfied with his work before standing up.

 _"_ _Should be able to get him up and fighting in a few days though his form shifts probably won't be viable yet. As for the rest of us, head to the Rec room. We got things to do. We need to pack up and move out. The battles no more than two days away."_

A nod to Apollo, a quick hug for Hestia, and he was gone, presumably to the rec room, The present campers filed out, not at all looking forward to the upcoming meeting. Gods know it won't be fun.

 _"_ _We need a solid plan for the division of forces. We're fighting an army with half a battalion but that doesn't mean we can't and won't win. Manhattan is an island with only so many entrances. I'll leave the squad division to the Commander in Chief of the operation. First things first though, we need to get to ground zero and set up a forward base. I have an idea of where we can set up shop. I'll move ahead to make sure everything is in place before we move to the island. We'll head out tomorrow since I have to speak with Bekendorf, and I need to have a proper conversation with Silena as well. I also need to make sure Nico can manage his new hands well enough that we won't have to worry about him in a fight. Until tomorrow, dismissed! We'll decide transportation then."_

He blinked out, leaving a note with Bekendorf and Silena, and the rest of the campers looking at Chiron for confirmation of the dismissal.

"He's right, we have time since we know precisely how long we have before the enemy forces arrive and so we should use it. Once we have a post set up we can strategize and respond in record time as well as have a possible infirmary should we need it to house any injured. I have no idea what he needs to talk to Bekendorf about but if it involved us he wouldn't hesitate to share. If we are to know what it is then either Silena or Bekendorf would tell us. Although,"

He sent a pointed look at Clarisse, "we do have one person that was present during whatever exchange happened between Silean and Noir over Charlie's near death experience. Considering Clarisse is quite loyal and hasn't said anything means Noir told her not to or she deemed it something that, as I said before, is for one of the trio to reveal."

All eyes turned to Silena and she waved them off in a 'some other' time motion while Bekendorf looked slightly worried. A reassuring smile in his direction and he let it slide.

"With that, yes you are dismissed."

The war council was adjourned and the groups split off.

"So does this have to do with why I should probably be dead and my girlfriend has a circlet made of the same platinum as the polymorph beside her?"

Noir and Silena shared a glance.

 _"_ _Yes."_ "Yes."

Bekendorf looked suspicious but waved for the explanation to continue.

 _"_ _It's like you said, you should be dead. In Elysium. Sitting pretty on an island sipping Nectar and eating Ambrosia to your hearts content. However, as you can tell, someone called in a favor of which the price she didn't understand. Now how do want the news, quick and painful or do you want the gentle let down. Heads up I'll give you the gentle let down either way since it's the full situational explanation."_

"Brutal first if I'm getting the gentle let down either way."

 _"_ _Lack of a better way to say it, Silena belongs to me."_ He deadpanned.

Bekendorf's eyebrow shot up and his face looked absolutely horrified.

 _"_ _Not like that you fool. That was the best and only way to cut it short. To save a life a life must be given. As you can see both of you are still here so who do you think balanced the scales to ensure both of you lived?"_

Bekendorf's eyebrows scrunched together as Noir continued.

 _"_ _Not to offend but I don't necessarily get anything out of this so by my laws, The Laws of the First that is, I have sacrificed and gained nothing while another gained everything through my sacrifice. As such the one who gained everything owes everything to who?"_

Bekendorf's down cast look answered him. Noir sighed deeply.

 _"_ _I know, I know, trust me I know this isn't the best situation for any of us. The Laws of the First are for the maintenance of balance child. It is to keep the shift of power between souls beyond even the Creator of your Universe. Should we give we are required to take, even if we wish not to. Those that enter within any situation of exchange for sake of benefit enter an unspoken contract between them and the First that is present. It includes other First too. We can't just go exchanging powers without repercussions, we're unbelievably influential on reality as it is. An exchange of power between any of us is essentially a brief allotment of the other into our domains therefore we allow each other an amount of free roam within each other's realm of control. As such we counter balance each other and can manage one another as we traverse each other's domain. It's simply to keep one another form abusing the excess allotment of power from tipping the balance between the lot of the First. That many entities who embody the basic laws and forces of existence maintain a very, very delicate balance and the laws are strict for a reason. With beings of that magnitude, an inch of take results in a mile of give. They apply to everyone regardless of state and stature, and therefore they apply to Silena as well."_

"So why not me? Why am I not indebted to you for keeping me alive? Why am I not the one you 'own'?"

 _"_ _Because I didn't make the initial sacrifice, it was to be made by her on your behalf by Silena. She petitioned me for the sake of saving your life since she could not. As the First that set the conditions of the restoration of your life against the Will of the Fates. Silena's life alone would not have been enough to balance the scales against the Will of the Fates. So I did it for her, omitting her life from the scales and replaced her sacrifice with my own. As such she owes me her life to keep her from dying in the process and then twice over by saving your life for her, which would have cost her life as well. Essentially I saved her life twice over, and then some as I paid the price of your life in her stead. Realistically you owe her for almost giving her life for yours and then also indebting herself to me when I brought you back. You don't owe me at all, I facilitated the deal but she really paid the price. My rules don't apply between you two since neither of you are of the First so you aren't required to repay her. You could, walk right the fuck out on her and forget about it. However we all know that won't happen, the only problem is between you two and how you feel about the situation._

 _Silena and I are in a respect based contract, not unlike King Arthur and Lancelot. She will serve beneath me and I will hold the greater portion of dominion over her and my word is law, as long as it's not against her will or morals. You two are still together and I respect that. I will not place myself between you, true she will be by my side as any knight would be, but you two shall still be together. Now for you two I suggest you sort that out. I have a midget to manage."_

With a smirk he was gone leaving the couple together. Bekendorf was busy fidgeting, trying to figure out what to say to the girl that basically sold herself to ensure he'd live. The girl who almost gave her life for his. The girl-

That was kissing him!

"Come on. I know you're already over things when it's as simple as us getting lunch together and continuing to live as we were. Noir said he wasn't gonna come between us so we have nothing to worry about. I might run the odd errand or have sword classes with him but that's about it. Now let's get going before we miss lunch."

She dragged him towards the dining pavilion before he could utter anything else, Noir watching amusedly as they walked off smiling like fools.

 _"_ _A'ight let's get started, we only have so much time before we have to move for the city."_

"Sounds about right but should I be worried about our training grounds?"

Nor looked down from where he stood with Nico upon the lake surface, so clear was the water they could see straight to the bottom. Naiads swam and played beneath them occasionally making funny faces at them. Noir would occasionally smile and wave back.

 _"_ _What no faith in the all powerful polymorph?"_

Nico cocked an eyebrow at him

 _"_ _Geez… no respect I tell ya. Well on to business! This should be quick and painless."_

He snapped his finger and the world around them shimmered. Everything slowed to a near stop. Birds in the air, satyrs chasing dryads, the Apollo campers volleyball as it fell, Percy as well as he was mid drop for a dunk on the basketball court.

 _"_ _Now we have more than enough time, so let's get started."_

Nico finally pulled his wits together and shrugged off his aviator jacket revealing his new arms. They worked wonderfully, albeit being the slightest bit stiff in the morning.

 _"_ _Think fast!"_

He barely caught the soft ball Noir lobbed at him, by that he meant it bounced off his forehead and into his arms. His reaction to the ball almost made him drop it as his hands followed late after his thought.

 _"_ _So that's the biggest thing we're going to worry about, erasing the delay between normal reactions of your hands in standard form before we get down to shape shifting. As I said before, letting your own energy flow into them will make this a whole lot easier and I can see you've already started."_

He gestured to the black swirls that encircled Nico's knuckles and wound slightly up the back of his hand.

 _"_ _Once you get a greater resonance between your energy and the natural energy of the prosthetics going the delay between thought and reaction will gradually disappear. To do that simply send your own energy into them, since you naturally have a handle on your own energy you'll share that control with anything else you have imbued your energy with. Not to mention the limbs, being shaped out of energy, will boost your own natural energy reserves, acclimating fully with them will yield more than one benefit in that way. Once you can handle them in standard form, we'll work on your energy control for the reshaping of the limbs for combat purposes. For now just sit down and meditate. Focus on your heartbeat, and then on the energy flowing through your body. Sync them, feel your energy thrumming in tandem to your heartbeat. Once you have that, focus on making sure you can feel that sensation throughout your hands. It'll be dull at first, but keep going until you can feel the pulse as prominently as you can feel it in your own body."_

Nico obliged. Folding his feet he sat down upon the lake surface. Not bothering to be cliché and pinch his thumb and forefinger together, he let his wrists wrest on his knees. He kept his back straight and smirked a little at the thought of his younger self trying to do the same. Letting his thoughts roll away he cleared up his head and focused on his heartbeat. With the sheer amount of quiet going on he found it surprisingly hard to focus on the steady beat. After what felt like a minute or two he found it then began to let his power flow. It was dark and opposing, contradicting his heartbeat which represented life and vitality but he managed to draw them together. He had long since learned that the shadows were alive and the dead still roam so tying the tow aspects together was relatively simple, in theory. His powers were fighting against his heartbeat but he managed to reign them in. soon enough a steady thrum was pulsing though his body. He slowly let it grow until he could feel the energy gently flowing beneath his skin.

Slowly, very slowly, he began to push it towards the new limbs. He decided to do the easiest bit first and tried to feel the pulse in his new fingers. This was easier since there was little resistance but it was still like pushing a thick pole through cold and thick syrup. Eventually, he started to feel the slightest buzz in his fingers. Internally he smiled but decided to keep going. The feeling swelled as he pushed more energy in, it was more difficult to stream that amount of power in but he managed it with a solid portion of effort. His palms and wrists joined the steady pulse that was crawling its way up his forearm. The spread joined the main body of the flow just beneath his elbow, right where the prosthetic connected to his body. He smiled as the connection fluttered momentarily and then picked up, as if the prosthetics were rejoicing in being united with the main body.

Within a few breathing sets his energy was thrumming all about his body in perfect synchrony with his heartbeat, including his new arms. Though he really couldn't say that as they felt as though they had always been a part of him, and now they would be. When he was sure that he could feel his heartbeat in every inch of his arm h breathed out in a sigh and let the ebb and flow of power in his veins calm. When he finally went to open his eyes he found it rather difficult. It was a battle to open then and good gods his back was stiff! He slowly stood and stretched out getting a chorus off popping from his joints and woe fully stiff vertebrae.

 _"_ _Full acclimation in 12 hours! I'm quite impressed with ya Di'Angelo."_

Nico's jaw would've hit the lake bed if it weren't attached to his face.

"A HALF DAY?! YOU'VE HAD ME MEDITATING FOR A HALF DAY?!"

 _"_ _No, you meditated for twelve hours here. Outside of this area, roughly 2 hours have passed."_

Nico looked about and realized that birds that were previously frozen were long gone. Percy was now sliding for a save on the Volleyball court from a spike that must've come from Annabeth judging by her falling form. Two Naiads were far beneath them playing what looked like g fish at the speed of snail. Nico sighed thinking he might have lost half a day when he should be preparing for war. He gave Noir a sheepish smile while the polymorph merely looked amused.

 _"_ _Well, with that out of the way we can move on to the fun part. Form changes. The concept is simple but the execution is a bitch if you've never done it before. For this trying and picture your limb as liquid. Power is fluid and sine these limbs are almost all power in their entirety that shouldn't be too hard. Reforming it into something else when it should simply be a limb is another story altogether. I would recommend something you know well, something familiar that you can easily picture in your mind. Something so familiar you've seen it time and time again and you could recognize it even form the corner of your eye. When you have the image in mind, imprint it onto you limb. Mirror the image over your arms like a stencil and let your arm fill it in. Once you change to that form a couple times it'll be almost a standard and you'll be able to shift to it almost immediately. Eventually you'll be able to fully form weapons out of your limbs and wield them like you would any other."_

Noir demonstrated as he held his left hand flat and made a grabbing motion against it with his right. It looked like he was clasping something protruding from his palm, or that ridiculous turkey thing Percy would always do to Annabeth when she asked for a high five.

Drawing Nico from his loss of train of thought, Noir pulled vertically across his torso producing a simple sword of flowing light. There was no guard but it was roughly centered about the shape of a katana. Slimmer 'ribbons' that looked more like flowing duplicate blades, flowered from the handle out into the air.

 _"_ _Remember, power is fluid and can be manipulated in different ways so doing something like this-"_ he punctuated the sentence with a slash that launched one of the ribbons into the air as a crescent blade, _"Should be possible for you as long as you have sufficient energy to maintain it."_

Externally, Nico nodded calmly. Internally, he wondered how much Noir's power level would be if he had a Mytho-magic card. Tossing the thought aside he looked down at his hands. He jumped a bit in surprise at how much his hands had changed. The scales had almost receded entirely, but his hands were now almost entirely black. The scales had small platinum striations that crossed diagonally across the surface which produced a spiraling effect up his arm. His elbows were now housed in the same kind of triple petal junction as Noir's gauntlets, minus the flames. He was pleasantly surprised.

"At least they won't clash with anything…"

He heard Noir stifle a laugh. He watched as the polymorph gestured for him to continue and slipped beneath the lake surface where he joined the Naiads for card games. Nico shook his head at the shifters antics and focused on his right arm. He closed his eyes and tried to mimic the feel of water with his limb. The way it slid between loose fingers, but pooled together in a cupped hand. How it would roll with any slope, but still crash against rocky shores weathering away the ancient stones. The way it filled but never burst and could splatter but reform into any shape. When he opened his eyes, his right arm was a mass off floating black and platinum, he smirked and watched as it followed him wherever he went. He would jump, slide, and run across the water's surface while his 'arm' would stream behind him. He briefly thought about making a whip but he wasn't familiar enough with them. He instead focused on a blade. One that was attached to its owner and constantly hid within his body, never failing. He focused on the way the blade would cut but never chip, clash but never shatter, he focused in the way it moved as part of the body, how organic and natural it was. He focused on making his arm like that blade. Focused on how blades worked for him, how his sword bisected with ease and ate away all the monsters that opposed him, how his sword would never need to be called upon, how it was always there when he needed. He focused on the reliability, the familiarity, the natural nature of both blades and put them together.

With the image in mind he laid it over his arm, not like a stencil, but more like a cookie cutter to be filled in. He felt his 'arm' twisting and flowing folding over its self in a liquid state and filling the shape he desired. It sorta hurt since he had to dissolve his bones but he powered through. It hadn't killed him to lose his arms and now he would be stronger for it. When he finally opened his eyes, the massive blade was firmly attached to his arm and it looked ferocious. The Massive curve of it was lined in platinum while 4 black strips attached it to the rest of his arm with four platinum rods laced through on both sides. Though he noticed the blade wasn't a single piece of metal, two halves made up the whole of the weapon and when he focused they split and snapped back together.

'Like teeth' he thought. The back end of the guillotine/scythe/scimitar stretched past his elbow slightly and the reinforcing bars of platinum extended over it in a staggering pattern. When he pushed power into them they glowed and black flames spewed from the ends. The blade split and formed a massive spear of black flame from the 'mouth' of the blade.

 _"_ _An ode to Prototype huh? Alex Mercer's blade but I see you added some additions. Not bad at all for a first augment. Form, save and catalogue. Call Class 'Blade, Nightingale'."_

Nico felt the blade hum in response to Noir's command.

 _"_ _Nico, say 'Form, Standard' and then when the shift occurs call 'Blade Form, Nightingale'."_

Nico obliged. When he called Standard the blade shrunk, the rods receded, the strips folded away, and the entire thing collapsed back into his arm. He smiled something devilish when he called Nightingale. His arm split open and the first blade shot out and the second followed with a clash of steel on steel. He noticed his thoughts on teeth affected the blade, as the inside of each was now serrated. The rest of his arm unfolded into the 8 strips that held the blade to his body and the rods wove their way into the harness for the blades.

Nico looked up and Noir nodded in approval. They shared a smile before Noir almost made Nico die again.

 _"_ _So when are you going to tell Percy ya love 'im?"_

If Nico could've drowned right then, he would have.

He turned beet red and tried not to stutter but realized he was entirely screwed.

"I-Um- have no- no clue what-"

 _"_ _Dude, I've been around since your Great Grandma and Grandpa were still toddlers, don't even bother."_

Nico sat down and slumped hard

"I just don't want to be the 'Gay Son of Hades'. People hate me enough because of how different I am already." He gestured to the massive arm blade, "This on top of being gay probably doesn't do me any favors. I've lost too much already, I don't need to lose my friendship with Percy over my 'unnatural' feelings."

Noir sat down beside him and pulled him into a side hug.

 _"_ _First step to acceptance is to accept yourself kiddo. When you're happy with you, other will learn to be as well. In terms of Percy he'll understand and he'll over think his answer at first and blow the whole thing out of proportion before finding some way to make it better with a goofy apology. And if you're looking for approval of who you are then you have mine. Be who you want to be, be who you are. You have my backing and my approval. Worst comes to worst call my name and I'll be there to help. Your lives are too short to be worried about being anything other than safe and happy, so don't bother if the majority hates or is disgusted at you, the minority is all that matters. If they want to be there, they will be there. Otherwise they have two perfectly good legs they can walk away on unless they say something rude and you break them. Then they can crawl while the regret their decisions."_

Noir gave Nico a smile and Nico found himself retuning it. He changed his arm back to normal before he stood and dragged Noir up with him for a proper hug. He uttered a muffled thank you into his coat while Noir just kept smiling. When they finally broke apart Noir told his to go get lunch and relax a bit. Nico nodded and Noir released the time spell and joined Nico as he walked across the lake towards the dining pavilion. Nico shot him a look.

 _"_ _I got you new arms and taught you how to change 'em into a massive jaw sword. I figure you at least owe me lunch if not dinner after the war."_

Nico laughed harder than he ever had before.

Lunch went quickly enough and with a request to Noir and Nico was practising again. Noir took a walk when he stumbled upon a ponderous Percy that was watching out at Nico over the water. Noir knew that Nico's arm was probably in a liquid state being practice shifted into other forms but he left a glamour to make it look like he was simply sitting on the water surface meditating.

 _"_ _You couldn't have known what would happen so it doesn't help to beat yourself up. Rather you should be training and practicing making sure you won't accidently be jumped."_

To emphasize a point Noir gently prodded at Percy's mortal point earning a shocked gasp. Percy swung looking panicked but found Noir with one eye closed and a finger to his lips.

 _"_ _Nothing will change if you just stand here staring at him like a creep. Either talk to him or get training, we don't have time to sit around with our thumbs on our asses. War starts tomorrow Percy, today is the day you do whatever you must if you aren't sure you're coming back. If you're sure you're coming back, you're not ready to go in the first place. Now make your choice kiddo. Time waits for no one. Not even the Titan Lord of it."_

Like a sagely wind, he was gone with the rustling of the grass at Percy's feet. He clenched his jaw and sighed.

'Might as well get it over with.' He thought and began to walk out across the water's surface.

Just because he admitted his feelings, it didn't mean Nico didn't nearly have his heart jump out of his chest when he swung around and found Percy standing behind him.

"You said this'd be hard Noir but I think you- GAH!"

Both he and Percy fell on their asses. Percy looked like a basking shark with his mouth hanging very wide open. Nico took in the look with a raised eyebrow before he noticed his arm was basically a floating cloud of black and platinum shadows. **(A/N: Think Sera Victoria from Hellsing 'cept black and platinum instead of black and red)**

"Oh! Right." Nico chuckled despite himself and called the command and his arm shifted back to normal. He clenched and unclenched his fist a couple times before giving Percy a scolding look.

"It's impolite to star Fish-Boy and I don't know what you're imagining my arm can do in that messed up head of yours."

Percy started turning red but before he could splutter out a response Nico chuckled at his expression. He grumbled incoherent curse and slapped Nico lightly. They sat across from each other for a few awkward seconds before Percy broke it.

"I'm sorry about the Underworld thing." Nico went to protest but Percy silenced him with a hand.

"I really don't have a right to say anything about making hard sacrifices to save my mother. I genuinely took my first quest, not to save the world, but to save my mother. I'm just glad I had the chance to grow up with her and know exactly how much she loves me every day of my life. You lost your mom and that must be incredibly hard but being the Son of the God of the Underworld who literally rules over all souls beneath the surface of the world and not being able to talk to her ghost must be worse. To top it all off you lost Bianca. You're only family and that is a feeling I know all too well. It's worse because whether you forgive me or not I will always feel a thousand times worse about it since I failed you. I failed to save your sister when I promised I'd bring her back. When you looked up to me and saw a hero all you got was a failure. Then I couldn't even help you or make it up to you since you fled and I never even looked. I just feel so terrible about it and now you've gone and lost your arms for me and I just can't be the guy everyone loses their live for. I don't care if I have to sell my soul to Noir I just don't want to let anyone down. I don't want to let you down again Nico."

Percy's head was hung the whole time and Nico could barely breathe. He knew he shouldn't be angry but he was. Not with Percy but with the gods and the Fates for the cruelty demi-gods were dealt. Knowing that loyalty was Percy's flaw must've made every single life they've lost and every one they will lose weight twice as heavily on him.

"You're right of course. I do forgive you but you should feel bad."

Percy was shocked but was ready to accept the chewing out he was long overdue.

"But…You don't get to take the easy way out. If you really want to make it up to me, to them, to Bianca, live Percy. Live and keep fighting. Live so you can help us win this war and live better lives. Fight so we can win and not leave anyone behind. Fight so the younger ones won't have to. Suffer with us, and help the lot of us climb our way to a better world just like we will help you since we all have our own guilt to live with. So don't just sit around moping and blaming yourself. Join the parade with the rest of the guilty and fight with us to claim your redemption with your own hands."

Percy looked up to see Nico smiling softer than he thought possible. The slight sparkle of platinum in his eyes showed that the little goth was definitely following in the footsteps of a certain polymorph but he wasn't going to question a good thing. He didn't bother asking as he crushed the Son of Hades in a massive hug. Nico stiffened but slowly relaxed into the hug and returned it.

"Now come on I've spent far too long in here and I need a break. I'm sure Noir won't mind if I relax before continuing with training."

Percy looked at him funny, "Spent too long…?"

He took a couple seconds to look around and noticed nothing had changed from when he had stepped out onto the lake surface. Everything was frozen in time

 _'_ _Time waits for no one, not even the Titan Lord of it'_

Percy questioned what kind of monster Noir must've been to use Kronos's domain so freely.

-Line Break-

Training flew by for Nico and Percy. Percy who had joined and was picking up sword techniques from the polymorph, and then Silena as well who dropped by when she wasn't spending time with Bekendorf.

Soon enough dawn was breaking on the horizon on the day of mobilization and the campers were fully armored and ready to go.

 _"_ _We're heading to Olympus first. There we'll plan, then we'll move to set up traps. I'd hoped the Ares cabin would have reconsidered their position by now."_

Pure fire filled the glare he shot that particular cabin

 _"_ _But it appears not to be. Silena. You'll be staying here for now. Work on Clarisse. Talk to her. Try and Convince her. Bekendorf has already prepared traps ahead of time and is staying to prepare more. He'll arrive with Silena and the Ares cabin or he'll arrive with Silena alone. I've sent Nico back to his father with a request form myself. He will be trying to get Hades and his legions to fight with us. Olympus is his home and family too. We will not be the only ones fronting the battle. As for the rest of us… Numbers aren't everything. One of you is worth forty of them 10 times over. Be smart, fight smart, act smart. You've trained for this, now is the time to put it into action. I've already contacted the Hunters so they'll arrive as well. I hope you haven't forgot anything, this isn't the type of trip where I can turn us back for a forgotten iPod. Once we land at the base of the Empire State, the war has begun."_

No one spoke up. Brave faces and stoic expressions ruled the crowds.

 _"_ _Then next we meet will be on the battle field."_

"WAIT! What do you mean? You're our leader right?"

Noir met Percy's panicked gaze, _"Only mortals can lead mortals Perseus. Like Chiron I am a guide and a warrior. As a leader I am fit only to give orders to immortals. Mortals are my charges not my underlings to command, not my pawns and pieces to move and a chessboard and regardless of my intentions that will be the situation. Whether the King moves on the field or not, he is still the hand that moves. Knights should Lead knights Perseus, kings are useless but for politics and I refuse to be one. If you need me on the battle field I will likely be acting on my own otherwise"_ he smirked, a mischievous sparkle in his platinum eyes, _"I'll be under Percy's directions."_

Suddenly the group of 40 demi-gods was standing on the side walk in front of the Empire State Building.

The war had begun.

 **A/N: ANNNNNNNNNNDDDDDDDDD...There ya go! War starts next chap and shit will be funky. I refuse to keep things the same so there will be discrepancies in the war (likely more nail biting situations an what not). Hopefully I'll bring back Cosmos, maybe I'll finally get Cosmos on Earth but we'll see. Just glad to see so much dedication so leave a review if ya up to it but I wanna say thanks for the RIDONKULOUS amount of views and the severely unexpected amount of subs. Shout out to you guys for keeping me going and for those at school...well...try no to murder anyone too important when the stress hits ;)**


	22. Chapter 24

**A/N: I Am so sorry guys! School has been hectic and between 5 different documents that needed to be typed I wasn't exactly keen on seeing Word often. Anywho next chapter is here and I hope to god it's up to par on quality cause it's just under 10K. Hope you guys still enjoy it though. Catch you in the next**

 **-Gryphon**

Chapter 24: Rampancy

The 40 demi-gods walked right into the lobby of the building without so much as a care for the actual opening time of the actual building. The security guard was seated right where he normally was. He didn't bother protesting their presence as soon as he saw the weapons and the rather miffed look on Percy's face. He really didn't want to be the leader responsible for all of this crap but it was his burden. He was the prophecy child and he had to be the savior. He simply glared at the guard and he let them use a specialty lift to the top so they could bypass the metal detector. Percy pitched a drachma his way before stepping into the elevator with the first group of demi-gods.

Olympus was stunning as usual. Gold and white buildings lined the sparkling hills. The only difference was the complete state of abandonment of the streets. They barely caught a glimpse of a minor godling closing his shutters as they walked towards the Hall of the Gods. It wasn't long till they arrived at the massive double doors that opened into the Throne Room before them. It was as empty as the streets of Olympus. The only being there was Hestia who worse a simple brown dress as she tended to the Hearth fully grown instead of the childish form she normally took.

"Welcome demi-gods, you are most welcome here. And young Perseus, I see you bare the curse of Achilles now."

The demigods behind him murmured curiously while he ignored the heat he felt on the back of his neck from Annabeth's gaze.

"Be warned, you walk a dangerous path you do not fully understand and face an enemy just the same. I will shed some light upon the situation for you."

She locked eyes with him and suddenly he was in an alley with a sandy haired boy and a girl with electric blue eyes.

"On the count of 3. 1…2…3!" They both turned the corner and the boy almost caught a hammer with his teeth. A small blonde girl was wildly swinging it screaming about monsters to leave her alone.

"Whoa! Whoa! Whoa there kiddo!" He caught her arms while she fought and kicked at him.

"No! Leave me alone! No more monsters!"

"Thalia put your shield away, you're scaring her." The now named daughter of Zeus tapped aegis twice and it folded away.

"Don't worry we're not monsters. I'm Luke and this is Thalia, we fight them too. We know a place, a place that's safe from the monsters."

The blonde girl eyed them curiously. Intelligence beyond her years shining behind grey eyes.

"Really?" Luke nodded and she relaxed a bit, "My name's Annabeth."

Luke nodded once more, "Well Annabeth, you look like a smart kid. That hammer won't kill them but this will." He handed her a knife, "Only intelligent fighters can manage using a knife in combat. So I'm giving this to you."

The younger Annabeth took it gingerly smiling softly at the two of them

"Now let's get moving, we have a ways to go."

The scene changed and suddenly the trio was moving across grassland. Luke in the lead, holding Annabeth's hand to keep her from stumbling, while a limping Thalia brought up the rear brandishing Aegis to ward off whatever was following them. They crested a small hill and came upon a rather familiar looking house.

"C'mon" Luke said, "Not much further now. I'll grab some supplies and we'll be on our way."

"Why can't we meet your mother? I'm sure she's fine and she'd let us-"

"NO!" yelled the Son of Hermes causing poor Annabeth to cower a bit.

"I- Just- wait here, I'll be back soon.'

As he turned there was a flash and a voice followed,

"You should not have come back here."

With that the vision collapsed. And the same booming voice entered the room.

"What do you need demi gods?"

Hermes didn't look very happy to be on Olympus.

Hestia bowed slightly to Hermes and left the demi-gods to chat. Percy had the other campers leave while he and Annabeth stayed to talk to the messenger god.

"Lord Hermes" Annabeth began, "The battle with Typhon is a trap. Kronos's forces are marching upon New York as we speak. We need some of the gods back here as soon as possible."

Hermes sighed and scratched his head with his caduceus eliciting a series of 'ows' and 'ouches' from George and Martha.

"Your mother said the same thing. 'Blah Blah It's a trap Yada Yada he'll destroy our thrones'. However Zeus wasn't having any of it. Typhon almost destroyed us before in Greece and that was when we were at our most powerful. Now we have weakened as the millennia passed, and we have no support from the other two original Olympians. Poseidon has his own war to fight in Atlantis and Hades sits upon his throne in the Underworld holding disdain for us all, though I suppose we have done much to deserve it…" Hermes trailed off as he mumbled to himself

Percy stepped up, "Please just send someone back! We will fight as hard as possible but this won't be easy!"

Hermes looked quite defeated, "none of us can afford to. Dionysus has been incapacitated along with Hephaestus. The Twin archers are absolutely needed, along with Ares. There is no way in Hades Zeus would let his best strategist leave his side on the battle field and Aphrodite, surprisingly, is hitting Typhon the hardest. I have no clue what Noir said or did to her but she's different. Imagine our surprise when she began firing jets of hyper heated hyper pressurized water bursts at the storm giant. Not to mention the odd blast of lightning but those seem to take more out of her than we thought…"He trailed off again.

Annabeth stepped back up, "We need your help! We need the gods to help save us, to help save Luke." The last part slipped out and it wasn't the right thing to let slip.

His visage grew dark as he scowled down at her and Percy stepped forward slightly.

"Why didn't you save him when you had the chance?! Why didn't you step up when he came to you out of desperation?!"

Percy wasn't sure where his rage came from but he yelled right back.

"Where was she? Where were you his entire LIFE?! Where were you when he was being chased by monster that wanted nothing more than to FUCKING EAT HIM?! WHERE WERE YOU MISTER ALMIGHTY GOD?!"

Hermes' face screwed up in rage as he grew to his godly height. His caduceus began to resemble a massive cattle prod as he raised it above his head. But Percy didn't back down.

He thought he was charcoal before Martha slithered over and whispered in Hermes' ear. He lowered the cattle prod still scowling,

"You bear the Curse of Achilles so your life is in the hands of the Fates. But you will never address me like that again." Percy would've been more terrified but Hermes just slumped looking entirely defeated and so abysmally tired Percy wondered if he even like being tired.

"Where was I? Everywhere but where I wanted to be…"

Percy strained to hear the last part

"Athena said to try Plan 23 Annabeth, and for you to remember the Rivers Perseus. Whatever that means."

He began to glow and Percy stepped between a still wide eyed Annabeth as Hermes assumed his true form and flashed away.

 _"_ _No one like following the rules they have to Percy. Not even the gods. Though I will admit the rules they live by are far more lenient than mine. Sitting on top of the world is painful and lonely Percy. The most powerful of heroes have the worst Fate. Remember that being a ruler isn't necessarily being happy."_

Percy knew Noir was just in his head but still muttered out loud, "Then what of you who sits on top of Reality?"

Percy didn't get a response but was slammed with what felt like an eternity of solitude, loneliness, sadness, abandonment, resentment, hatred, and only an abysmal amount of hope.

He knew Noir was keeping him standing since he didn't collapse into a weeping heap.

 _"_ _Don't seek power Perseus. If it is given to you there is a reason, but never ask for it or try to gain more than you have or are given. For all you may gain, you will lose exponentially more."_

He felt Noir leave his mind and he resolved himself to give the poly morph a hug. He tossed Annabeth's outburst out of his mind. He didn't have time to worry about petty emotions, he had a war to win and casualties to prevent.

He thought he felt a hum of approval from Noir within himself but realized it came from his own mind. For once he knew precisely what to do.

And he had an immortal to help him do it.

Percy and Annabeth left the Throne room to find the rest of the demi-gods huddled around the edge of Olympus as striations of blue light climbed in a dome towards the top of Olympus where they shimmered out before meeting one another. They finally stopped and everyone assumed that nothing had happened…Until Lee Fletcher pointed out the problem.

"Guys…Listen."

They did and silence answered them. Percy's stomach dropped, New York was never quiet. He reached the overlook and pushed a camper off one of the binoculars and looked down at the streets where people where curled up on the sidewalks and cars sat without their engines running.

New York was asleep, and Percy was mad.

"What have they done to my city?"

-Line Break-

The first thing the demi-gods did was regroup and disperse forces. They met at the base of the Empire State where Percy and the crew gathered around Annabeth's mirror shield Thank you Bekendorf!

"Alright. We're cut off from the outside world by a massive time spell."

He swore he heard Noir mutter something about giving Hecate a spanking but he quickly dismissed it.

"I'll handle the boats on the river. Apollo Cabin, take the Williamsburg Bridge. Katie and the Demeter Cabin the Brooklyn-Battery Tunnel. Connor take half the Hermes cabin to Manhattan Bridge Travis take the other half to the Brooklyn Bridge. NO LOOTING OR PILLAGING!"

The whole cabin booed until he glared. Noir stood behind him and mouthed

'Only a little looting' He gave a wink and a subtle thumbs up while the cabin continued to be 'disappointed'.

"Silena, I don't know if my orders in particular hold nay weight but I want you to take your cabin to the Queens-Midtown Tunnel."

She glanced at Noir who smirked and nodded. Much to the campers' collective dismay she smirked back but twice as evilly.

"Oh My God! Fifth Avenue is so on our way! We could accessorize and monsters, like, hate the smell of Givenchy!" one of Silena's sisters squealed.

Percy looked skeptical, "No delays…But…If the perfume thing works dine. Don't take too much time."

Percy's cheeks were rapidly assaulted while Noir laughed openly and kept Annabeth from murdering them for reasons far beyond her own comprehension. Percy simply shook off his (totally not) obvious blush and refocused on the task at hand.

"Holland Tunnel. Bekendorf, you lead the Hephaestus cabin and lay the traps thick."

 _"_ _If I swing by and don't see monsters hanging by their under garments I_ ain't _gonna be impressed Bekendorf."_

Bekendorf and Noir shared a smirk and a knuckle bump before Bekendorf pulled an impossibly massive twin bladed axe out of seemingly nowhere.

"Hephaestus cabin on me!" He roared, "I got a bone to pick with the Titan Lord."

The last bit got a roar of approval.

Percy smirked and got back to it.

"59th Street Bridge-"

"Got it" Annabeth interjected. Percy nodded and gave her a lopsided grim that made her knees shake. No one but Noir noticed who snickered while she tried to murder him with her eyes.

"That only leaves-"

"Lincoln Tunnel. Which we got, if I do say so myself." All eyes were on Thalia and Phoebe as they sauntered up to the group. Her smile would have been all fangs if she had them.

Percy nodded but didn't comment on the light weight armor that the Hunters now sported.

"You gonna handle the tank then?" he asked pointedly.

Noir's smirk toed the line of sanity

 _"_ _No, I will. It's been a long time since I last had n opportunity for a_ _ **meal**_ _of this scale. My doctor says I haven't been getting enough iron in my diet and I might just have a craving."_

Quite a few people backed up at Noir's sheer bloodlust but they were thankful it wasn't pointed in their direction.

"Hunters! We're not giving them an inch! Every foot given is one less night Noir isn't allowed to cook desert."

The Hunt paled rapidly before pulling themselves together so fast the campers thought they were born with bows in hand.

Lily snickered at her sisters.

"MOVE OUT!"

The Hunt took off in a silver blur while Noir winked and blinked out after them.

"Alright people! LET"S WIN THIS WAR! FOR OLYMPUS!"

40 voices echoed the call that rang all throughout the sleeping streets of New York.

Percy and Annabeth waited for the other's to leave before the zipped off on a moped.

Noir kept one eye closed as he sat in the trees with the Hunters monitoring the battle that was going on. Currently the Sherman was approaching and all their traps were in place. Suddenly everything went wrong. The Sherman stopped its advance and began to retreat along with the remaining forces. There tunnel was left bare. Shouts of panic erupted into Noir's head as Demi-gods at another location fought to push back unexpected numbers.

 _"_ _A trap…"_ he muttered, _"They moved their forces to a weaker in encampment on our side. I need to go."_ Thalia didn't have time to protest as Noir didn't bother to flash in his rush. The branch he had been standing on previously disintegrated under the force he launched himself with. By the time Thalia had steadied herself in the trembling tree, a crater was all the evidence that the Polymorph had been there at all.

 **With Travis, on Manhattan Bridge**

"Fall back! Trigger traps, slow them down! Throw the grenades and stink bombs! Cause chaos make them lose their formation BUT DO NOT LOSE YOUR LIVES!"

Travis's orders wer followed to a T as trip wires were sprung, cars exploded, Greek Fire rained, and homemade bombs went off.

"We need back up!" a daughter of Hebe called.

She turned to her injured friend in time to a hellhound bearing down upon her.

 _"_ _Great Wolf Impact!"_ The hellhound was blasted straight through the concrete and through the bridge. The shockwave drove the forces apart while spreading cracks throughout the bridge.

Noir stood form the shattered area of the ground, _"You rang?"_

The Hermes forces cheered while the enemies began to tremble slightly. There was a slight disturbance of reality before a figure Noir had hope not to see stepped forward. The black haired woman stepped forward in a pair of black jeans and a dark green blouse. Her short cropped hair, forest camo gloves, and winged eyeliner resembling Faith from Mirror's edge. Her eyes were a sight to behold, She had multiple pupils that didn't seem to obey the laws of physics as they darted around, taking in everything. Her irises shifted through shades of green while her fingers grasped constantly for something that wasn't there. Her skin was milky and taught as it hung as close to her body as possible. She looked like the poster child for Kleptomania as she scanned the crowd with a hungry smile.

 _"_ _Greed"_ Noir greeted with a slight grimace.

All of her eyes focused on Noir ad her hungry smile was replaced with something more genuine. He features shifted to human and for a second she looked truly beautiful before it collapsed into her previous form.

"Hello wolfy!"

 _"_ _Greed, I thought you would leave this alone. I though you said we wouldn't have to face each other again. I thought we had an agreement sister."_

Noir's voice sounded far more familiar than ever before. Greed's pupils combined into a single eye before they separated again.

"Too much to gain Big Bro!" she exclaimed giddily, "so many new things to play with! So many toys to collect. So much fun to have with things I've never seen before!"

She squealed as she happily clapped almost like an exited child while Noir's look became increasingly worried. She turns a very disturbing looked to Noir as all of her separated pupils focused on him, the multiple color shifting irises forming a disturbing color flow.

"They said I could have you and your Domains! Can you imagine it! Finally I get my favorite sibling all to myself! No interruptions! No one else! You get to be all **MINE!** All that power! All for ME!"

She lunged at insane speeds as and Noir caught her and jumped lightly before burying her head first into the concrete with a suplex.

Noir's eyes began to flicker between platinum and quasars as he watched her rip an entire block of concrete out of the bridge and break it in half to free herself.

 _"_ _ **Don't make me**_ _have to fight you_ _ **Sister**_ _. This is not how_ _ **I**_ _want our_ _ **family**_ _to reunite."_

Greed didn't stop as she giggled horrifically. Even as she smiled a pair of mandibles ripped through her cheeks and her skin receded over he hands, leaving black chiton covered claws at the end of her arms.

"MINEMINE MINEMINEMINE MINEMINEMINEMINEMINE IT'LL ALL BE MINE!"

She lunged again shattering the ground she once stood upon. The demi-gods backed up and soon the monsters did as well when Noir took off towards her with a sad but determined look. The two collided at unfathomable speeds shaking the world around them. All around Manhattan the waters shook and thrashed. The bridge was barely holding together beneath the cataclysmic blows that kept coming as the two slammed into each other over and over. To both forces they only glimpsed brief moments of the fight as the heavier blows slowed the fighters to a stop for seconds at a time.

Out of Pure instinct Travis called, "DUCK!"

The demi-god forces hit the deck as a circlet of green energy cut the bridge wires and towers down from where they stood. Many monsters found themselves headless as the circlet collapsed back inwards taking the towers, lines, supports, and decapitated heads to a central point where they were hyper condensed and eaten. Greed's insectile mouth let loose a chittering sigh as it molded back to an almost human feature while the decapitated monster bodies remained. Both armies froze as they didn't disintegrate and bled a black fluid that and evaporated quickly.

"SO TASTEY!" She turned her multiple eyes on the monster forces and the demi-gods within them. The few that survived began to run while she licked her lips in anticipation. This was all the rest needed for incentive to run as five excessively long tongues left her mouth and opened into snapping, worm like maws that grasped hungrily at them. They were quickly pulled back in as Greed's eager smile split her jaw back to insectile.

She lunged only to be kicked upwards.

 _"_ _What have they done to you, you who used to only hunger for the happiness of those she loved."_

Greed's manic eyes refocused on Noir and with a broken smile Noir burst after her. Greed simply wanted more, and once more they clashed with world shattering force.

As Percy stood upon Williamsburg Bridges facing down the Minotaur he felt the first tremors of the city.

'C'mon Noir. Manage this without obliterating the state please'

A tingle in his mind said he heard him and he focused back upon the Minotaur as he bellowed his challenge, crumpling a nearby Lexus for effect. Percy winced before he began to walk forward to meet the beast.

'I wonder if that's covered under his insurance' he pondered as he cut down a few waves of arrows, some dracaena, and a hellhound.

"OI! Ground Beef! Didn't ya learn the last time I took it to ya?"

The Minotaur bristled and drew his massive, double bladed axe. Percy noticed the dangling camp beads on his axe and felt rage starting to creep into him. He bit down on it and focused as the Minotaur dropped the axe in a downward cleave that buried it into the cement as Percy side stepped simply. He split the handle right between the Minotaur's grip.

"Moo?"

"HAAAA!" Percy spun and kicked old beef head right in his snotty nose causing him to rear back in anger. Percy grabbed the axe and ran for the edge of the bridge hoping for the cow to buy his ploy. The Minotaur didn't disappoint and charged straight ahead before Percy spun and he found the splintered end of his axe buried in his chest.

Percy slipped between his legs and used the grounded blade as leverage to flip the Minotaur off the bridge where he began to disintegrate.

"Not ideal for my first time cow tipping but I'll live with it."

Percy smirked and turned back to the shocked monster forces who stared at him in fear and slight awe.

'199 to 1…I like those odds'

With that he charged.

-Line Break-

The bridge was barely holding together as Noir and Greed continued to clash. The real scare was without the supports the bridges was rippling and rolling, looking like a ribbon in a high wind. Noir and Greed slammed apart before everything began to be sucked towards Greed. Loose armor and weapons, the odd monster, all were pulled towards her hands. The materials broke down and re-condensed into two massive sickles the miniature scythe blades flashed out at Noir who slid smoothly beneath it only for it to be whipped back at him as Greed yanked on a chain that materialised connected to the handle end. Noir back flipped over it and spun in a tight barrel roll deflecting the other. Soon the speed between toss and retraction was just as much a blur as Noir's dodges and reflections. And then they stopped. The blades hung mid-air while Noir stood in the middle of a cage of chains and blades.

40 sickles were visible as Noir looked at Greed in what could only be sadness.

"You can be mine even if you're in pieces. Maybe that means I have even more of you to myself!" Greed cackled and yanked full force while Noir calmly unzipped his hooded coat.

 _"_ _Forgive me little sister, I never wanted to draw a blade against you."_

The sickles blurred and there was only a storm of greenish grey metal surrounding Noir.

A sharp clang rang out as each and every sickle was shattered. Standing, arms outstretched with his legs spread and his coat flapping in the wind, was Noir's completely unscathed form.

Platinum poured out of his eyes in two broad bands and dripped off as he looked up. 3 knives sat between the knuckles of each of his hand while the inside of his coat revealed even more of them. The knives themselves were a two tone semi-square blade. The end slanted off slightly and the handles were bound with gold leather. The black and platinum blades glinted dangerously with Noir's slit pupils.

 _"_ _Run free with the wolves. Leaping Lupine Wind"_

Noir shattered the bridge further as he lunged at Greed who was scrambling to recover her sickles when Noir launched the first three blades at her. She hastily deflected two while the last knocked a sickle from her hand. Noir launched another set of three and Greed ducked only to find a single blade flying at her after it cut clean through a car on her right. The sheer force of the throw shattered her other sickle. She yanked her chains and another 8 sickles flew between her and Noir as he spun and flipped launching blades at her. The 8 sickles were knocked aside by an equal amount of blades while another four blazed past and pinned the chains of another four sickles.

She looked forward only to realize Noir wasn't there. Noir, who was 30 feet above her head, flipped lazily and sent a single knife downward. The knife speared though the chain of a sickle rushing towards Greed and he began to whip them as fast as he possibly could. To the 20 he already threw, he added 6 then 4 then 10 then 12 then another 8. Soon it was a rain of blades that pinned or shattered every sickle but it didn't end there.

As soon as Noir hit the ground he was off again tossing knives from hundreds of angles. Blinking between one location and the next and it was only when Greed flinched away form a blade that passed a little too close did she discover herself immobile. Another 80 blades tossed at speed that made it look like Noir was in six places at once ended his dance. He stood with platinum pouring down his face and Greed bound in thin black wire. She struggled and screamed as he approached her know kneeling form. She hissed at him and he stopped for a second before taking a deep breath and driving his hand into her chest.

She blinked before she began screaming. Her form flickered between the healthy and gaunt as Noir rooted around her chest. Platinum tears falling from his face as he repeatedly apologised. His tears were torrential while Greed's screams were heart rending. Campers and Monsters watched on in horror as Noir slowly tore some kind of _thing_ form his supposed sister's chest.

"STOP STOP PLEASE STOP IT HURTS!"

Noir's tears seemed to pour faster as the screeching writhing mass began to lose hold.

His voice cracked, _"Just a little more. Just a little and it'll be over."_

"Brother you said you'd never hurt me." Noir faltered and she whimpered in relief before he simply ripped the creature from her chest. Her eyes rolled up, and Greed fell to unconsciousness.

Whatever it was continued to screech and chirp before Noir's grip tightened so profoundly parts of the bridge bent towards his gripped fist where the creature writhed feebly. He whipped it sky word and with a light warping roar, shot a tower of platinum and black plasma up at it. Any clouds in the night sky were vaporised and the heat slammed into the remaining forces like a physical blow. The street and nearby cars melted and the already weak remaining supports warped. Whatever the thing that was within Greed was, it likely hadn't even managed to keep a couple _atoms_ together.

Noir looked down at the slumped over Greed and cut the wires holding her. He caught her gently as her unconscious form fell against him and laid her down.

 ** _"_** ** _Travis,_** _guard her but do_ _ **NOT**_ _let anyone lay a single_ _ **finger**_ _on her."_

Travis met Noir's flickering eyes and nodded tautly and moved to stand between Greed's unconscious form the remaining monster forces.

Noir faced the opposing army and let his tails explode outwards where they whipped angrily, shattering whatever intact sections of the road they came into contact with. Tiny sonic booms assaulted peoples' ears as the faster ones shattered the sound barrier with every snap. The skin on his hands and face began to flake off, revealing bone and muscle. Massive teeth had punctured out of his gums and black and platinum claws tipped his fingers while the rest of the hand was reinforced with platinum over black muscles.

His second jaw made grotesque appearance as the skin of his face completely flaked away and his eyes slit in rage.

His swirling irises flickered between quasars and platinum leaving him all claws and teeth.

 ** _"_** ** _Run_** _little beings. At_ _ **Least**_ _make this_ _ **hunt**_ _a_ _ **challenge**_ _._ _ **IF**_ _you_ _ **can**_ _that is."_

The enemy monsters did the stupid thing and ran, the enemy Demi-gods did the smart thing and dropped their weapons.

Take a swing at who ended up in pieces.

Percy and Annabeth stood back to back surrounded by Kronos's forces as the Titan took his leisurely time approaching. But both forces stopped as black and platinum stream lit up the sky for a brief second. When the shockwave of displaced, hyper heated air hit many of the cavalry were tossed from their horses. The bridge shook while the rest dismounted in fear of being tossed and faced the two half-bloods where they stood.

"And remind me why you're still here when the others have already retreated?"

Annabeth slapped his arm from where she stood beside him facing down death.

"Someone needs to watch your back you fool."

Percy wondered if she knew where his mortal point was but he ignored the notion and focused on the battle at hand. He focused more on knocking the enemy demi-gods out rather than straight murdering them. It wasn't their fault about the way they were treated. They didn't deserve to be killed for wanting to know and be acknowledged by their parents. The monsters, the monsters were a different story. Percy could feel just a sliver of Noir's bloodlust remaining in him and he used it to his advantage. Even though he was only knocking out the demi-gods, he still didn't lose speed. What was it that Noir had said? Mirror your element? He mentally shrugged and tried to feel the ocean within him. Her flow and crash. Her violence her calm. Her mystery and vast encompassment. He took that, and let it become his blade, and so his blade became a force of nature.

Riptide was forged from the immortality of a daughter of the sea. Her life force and energy inhabited the blade and now Percy's own connection to the ocean reinforced it. Riptide's bronze glow was tinged slightly green, and his forms changed drastically. Instead of meeting strikes full force, he slid them away from himself. He let blades and spears slide past him within centimeters of his skin as he spun and flowed through the ranks. Nothing could touch him, not because of the curse of Achilles, but through his own skill he had trained with a force beyond the worlds. And to say that his strikes were weak because he flowed like water would be a foolish presumption. Swords, shields, and spears shattered beneath the weight of his blows. The weight of the ocean crashed like a wave upon the enemy forces, his blade as sharp as a high pressure water stream. His sweeps and lunges chained and connected like the hundreds of streams that meet to make a river.

The enemy forces crumbled to dust before him while even Annabeth and Kronos watched in slight awe. By the time Kronos finally hopped down from his chariot half his forces had been either demolished or disarmed as Percy stood calmly behind his blade.

He embodied his father's words.

"The Ocean is deep and mysterious Percy. Even in her depths where no light can reach she nurtures those that live there. The ocean is a world all her own Percy and new lives are constantly born and forgotten. She holds creatures long forgotten to even myself. And she never will be tamed."

Percy's blade didn't even waver as he saw Kronos and Ethan approach. Ethan still remembering the backhand he got the first time he encountered the Prophecy Child. Kronos stepped forward with his scythe in hand and smile upon his face.

"I see you have improved Perseus! Though I must say you will lose. How did you think we knew where you would be? My spy keeps me very well in-"

"Can we skip the gloating and get to the part where I kick your ass? Cause we did this before and I don't like Déjà vu."

Kronos's eye twitched as he charged. Percy simply batted it aside without even shifting his legs form where he stood. Kronos looked surprised before he swept it low. Percy simply hopped over the low slash and replied with a lunge that slammed into Kronos's chest and stumbled him back a few steps. Kronos didn't look at all happy with Percy's calm demeanor. When his face morphed to grin Percy panicked slightly. It was quite justified as an ear piercing scream reached his ears before it gurgled out. Annabeth hung mid-air impaled upon a broad sword that stretched form her sternum to the bottom of her ribcage. Blood poured from between her lips as the shadow of a fairly lithe man seemed to clear behind her. His smile wider than normal taking up the entire area from his chin to the bottom of his nose as well as the greater portion of his cheeks. His teeth weren't sharp like Cheshire's but broad flat tombstones, yellow and the gaps filled with all kinds of indiscernible left overs.

The most gruesome part was his eyes since he didn't have any. Instead the cavity was also filled with teeth which were also stretched into a grin across the center of face. Percy didn't wait a second longer to find out if he had anything else in store. He was a blur as he made to bisect the man but Riptide was stopped short as a mouth sprouted from his side and the teeth caught the blade. His smile broadened before his main mouth began to open. Looking at the 6 rows of tombstone like teeth, Percy wondered if the curse protected him from being chewed to death.

He wondered no longer as a very familiar bronze knife found its way into the roof of his mouth and he bellowed in rage. Annabeth barely managed to catch herself on weak legs before collapsing on her side. The man/mouth/thing ripped the blade form his mouth and tossed it aside. He growled menacingly before a mouth in his stomach opened and folded him in half. The jaws closed, leaving nothing but a set of teeth floating in the air before reality closed of them like a pair of lips and he was gone.

"Percy! The Bridge!" Michael Yew yelled.

Percy took the hint and whistled. Black Jack was a blur as he swept in and grabbed Annabeth before he was gone. Percy glared one last time at Kronos before picking up Annabeth's knife and plunging Riptide hilt deep into the cement. Water burst from the point of impact like he hit a geyser, and soon the already battered bridge began to crumble. Kronos forces retreated quickly as the bridge fell to pieces behind them. A fifty foot chasm stood between Percy and Kronos as the sun rose. The enemy forces fell back and Kronos smirked like he had one. Percy intended to crush that notion.

-Line Break-

There was a yelp and Percy barely managed to catch Michael Yew as he fell from his perch atop the wires of the bridge.

The y landed in a small pile with Michael on top of Percy as the Son of Poseidon raised an eyebrow with a mischievous sparkle in his eyes.

"Michael I know we're good friends but you could at least by me dinner first. And right but in the open for our first time? How bold."

Yew scowled and scrambled up with red ears while Percy chuckled but let them die off.

He grabbed Michael and Will Solace when they reached the bottom of the bridge,

"C'mon, Annabeth needs help."

Percy grabbed the nearest vehicle, which happened to be a motorcycle with a side car, and drove at speed that would've made Evil Knievel have a heart attack. Now Percy had never been to the Plaza before but he was sure it looked a lot better on the usual days. Demi-gods swarmed through the lobby and had fully taken of the top floor. Using furniture and the like for hospital beds as they treated the injured. The war was going far better than expected. Very few were missing, enough that Percy simply presumed they were scouting the entrances while the rest lay resting, being tended to for minor injuries, or the odd person that was fairly heavily bandaged.

Bekendorf approached quickly, "Percy we got reports com-"

"Annabeth first then we'll talk. How is she?"

Bekendorf's face was stoic but the way he clenched his fist gave away his nervousness.

"The blade… Its almost like it's alive Percy. We need Noir and we haven't seen him. The Apollo cabin is doing all they can but for now…she's barely stable and likely to deteriorate."

Percy clenched his jaw, praying to every god he knew that Annabeth be ok until Noir get here. He just hoped whatever he was doing was truly important.

The second division of the Hermes cabin led by Travis arrived quite soon with quite a few trembling demi-god prisoners warily looking over their shoulders constantly. The Olympian forces wondered what they were so terrified of when the Hunters arrived minus one desperately needed Polymorph.

 _"_ _Eyes forward. If I wanted to_ _ **eviscerate**_ _you I would've done so already."_

ADHD be damned, all eyes were focused straight ahead while Noir walked passed with a sleeping form in his hands. The Demi-gods and Hunters that hadn't been on the bridge looked questioningly at Travis as Noir simply glided past without recognizing their presence at all. He simply shook his head and made a motion for 'later'.

Noir simply blinked to the top floor and found an empty couch to set Greed down on. She whimpered slightly when she lost contact with him but a quick shushing quieted her. He crouched low and kissed her lightly on the brow, bringing their heads together briefly before he separated from her. He stood to find Percy waiting patiently behind him, nervously tapping his foot but not with any malice; simply nervousness.

 _"_ _Annabeth?"_

Percy nodded and Noir motioned for him to lead the way. They were on a balcony overlooking the city while Annabeth lay on her side the sword sticking through her stomach, while Will and Michael Yew from the Apollo cabin did their best to keep her stable.

 _"_ _Well that looks pleasant…"_

Michael and Will barely had the energy to glare while Noir appraised the blade. He didn't touch it which is precisely the problem.

"Well? Pull it out?"

 _"_ _And make her bleed to death? Not a good idea at all. That and that blade is quite…unique."_

He pulled a small piece of the flooring out and dropped it on the blade. The blade bit clean into to it, literally. A small mouth opened up and swallowed the rubble before returning to normal.

 _"_ _Looks like Gluttony showed up too. This isn't good at all… Though I do have to say thank you for keeping this thing well fed, otherwise we'd be dealing with scraps of Annabeth right now."_

The men on the deck looked horrified before Percy stepped up,

"How can we help then!?"

Noir met his panicked gaze,

 _"_ _Get a couple people together. Make sure their fairly powerful. This won't be easy."_

Not 3 minutes later they had moved Annabeth to a bed in the main room of the penthouse. Bekendorf, Will, Michael, Katie, Travis, Connor, and Percy stood in a circle around her hand held while Noir kept the blade in stasis. He steeped in beneath and up to her body before grasping Percy's shoulder,

 _"_ _Hang on, this will be a little rough. I recommend a severe amount of rest after this and remember to grab some Ambrosia. Don't fight the drain, I'll replace the greater portion of the energy I take from you but just don't fight the drain. It'll make this infinitely harder. Now are you ready?"_

Nervous nods all around except for Percy who had already steeled his resolve.

Noir nodded and placed his hand on the hilt of the blade. Instantly the twins dropped to their knees breathing hard while Bekendorf began to sweat. Katie started getting significantly paler and Percy's breathing started getting shallow. Noir had already started removing the blade carefully regulating the energy drain and feed. The initial burst took the most out of the demi-gods. The rest were still holding out if barely by the time the blade was ¾ way out of Annabeth's midsection.

 _"_ _Last push."_

Travis and Connor landed heavily on their sides. Bekendorf dropped to his knees in their place and another demi-god barely caught Katie as she flat out fainted and began to fall to the ground. Will looked practically dead as Michael Yew dripped some Nectar down his throat and Percy was struggling to stay on his feet.

The tip of the blade cleared her chest and the remaining Demi-gods slammed right onto their faces, vision blurring, and consciousness fading. They collectively had enough time to see the blade floating mildly as Noir made random gestures before it was encased in platinum chains.

Percy's dreams were disturbed as he saw events happening in shattered moments. Hermes and a young blonde lady standing in front of the Big House. Images of wars on foreign planets with beasts unseen, undefinable. Voices that formed forces and rules as if weaving reality itself. A horrified shriek tore through his dream as he saw The Oracle back when she was alive kneeling before Hades as Black fire burned in his eyes. The scream was echoed as he watched Hermes scream for the blonde in the Big House as a familiar serpent green glow emanated from the attic.

"May!" Hermes broken voice called out before everything went black.

He found himself floating in nothingness.

 ** _"_** ** _Pity we don't have time to truly talk child. Though I must say for you to wander all the way out here, your consciousness and destiny must be more exceptional that I initially presumed._**

Percy's dream form shuddered beneath the weight of the voice. He couldn't see the being that spoke with such power but he figured his mind more than likely wouldn't survive.

 ** _"_** ** _For now wake. Creatures and beings from far beyond your realm are moving once more. Maybe not now but soon enough that you must be ready to act. War should be on your side but I have a feeling you will not need his spawn. The set course of Fate has been muddled to the point where its Mistresses are barely keeping the weave from unraveling. Now is the time, if not always, to make your own future. My proxy knows that all too well. Now wake. There are monsters to be vanquished young hero."_**

Percy got up so fast he smashed his forehead against his some one's shield.

"Bad dreams huh?" He met Annabeth's eyes after massaging his forehead as the images of his dreams played behind his eyes the screams of May Castellan and the Oracle, the wars of beats and being, the voice and his warning. He shuddered slightly and let out a calming breath.

"Yeah, fine. Just surprisingly energized after everything that happened yesterday. Speaking of which, why are you in armor? You had a sword through you yesterday."

He said slightly accusingly.

She chuckled nervously and rubbed her stomach as if something should be there that wasn't.

"Noir took care of it exceptionally well." She winced slightly when she sat down, "He said I'll still be a little tender but apparently I wasn't supposed to catch a sword with my torso. I was supposed to be stabbed, apparently, which is why he couldn't get rid of the stiffness and the scar completely, but the sword thing wasn't supposed to happen. It took a bit of Ambrosia and Nectar for the others and now the sword is laying against the wall. Noir said one of us could probably wield it but we would need some insane power stored. He said you can feed it energy to wield it, but when you run out let go fast otherwise it'll eat you instead. He's calling it Devourer."

She trailed off as Thalia burst onto the overlook.

"We've got problems! We need to go to Central Park by the Harlem River. There's an army…Percy it's huge."

He nodded.

"Don't worry, I have a plan."

-Line Break-

Even Annabeth had been impressed with what Percy suggested. The plan was to split the Monster forces down the middle of the reservoir and hit the funneled forces individually. Between Campers, Hunters, and Nature spirits they hoped they had enough. The demi-god forces moved quickly enough that with the added heads up of their scouts and some vehicular theft they got there ahead of the army with more than enough time for the Hephaestus cabin to set up some surprises. Noir had been silent the entire time. His tails moved more like water as they flowed instead of whipped. His eyes were flickering and his ears were perked up.

 ** _'_** ** _My proxy…'_** the voice had said. Percy wondered if he was getting information form him right now while they stood together at the front of the main force just as they had with the battle with the Labyrinth.

 _"_ _There's a Titan on the lead. But something is not as it should be. He feels stronger. Like someone fed him a bit of their domain."_

Percy shuddered at the thought, and went to comment before explosions crammed whatever he would've said down his throat. The first traps had been tripped. The monsters were coming.

The Greek fire traps detonated, killing the army vanguard easily and set others alight as the flames spread. The panicking monsters ran farther forward into well disguised tar traps causing masses to fall. The opposite side shared the same fate before on an unspoken signal, pre-rigged repeating cross bows began firing (Courtesy of Noir of course) while Apollo campers and the Hunters let loose. Nature spirits sprung from everywhere as Satyrs joined the charge, wailing crashing into the army at terminal velocity.

But no matter how many they dusted more replaced them. Slowly the demi-god forces were being pushed back. It wasn't until the pained scream of a Hunter reached Noir did they act.

 _"_ _Fuck the signal."_ And like that he was gone.

The saying 'hit like a truck' is supposed to be an expression, but when Noir's single punch blasted a straight line of clearance straight into the enemy forces…well… there are always exceptions. Percy simply shrugged it off and decided he was right. He was the next one into the fray as the ground forces charged to reinforce their friends and family.

Percy was absolutely amazed as Noir had said he wouldn't bother wasting his powers with this portion.

' _I'll save 'em for the main battle. Going all out is only fun when the situation demands it.'_

Percy was puzzled but also realized that something huge must've been coming up for him to not go all out. That isn't to say that he wasn't walking through the enemy lines like it was a Sunday stroll however. Noir had conjured two combat knives, kukris had called them, and wielded them like he would his claws. Though his fighting style complemented the exceptionally long knives as he used more spins and slashed to keep moving. His momentum made him roar through the lines as he jumped and wind milled through a squad of Dracaena before backwards combat rolling inside Laistrygonian guards'.

He was a force of destruction as he stabbed one in the head as it swung killing it and jumping off the blow, streaking through the air as he flipped like a coin vertically splicing heads before whipping one foot out and down in a scything axe kick that exploded the ground clearing space. Not time was wasted as he used his remaining folded leg to kick off the ground and into the nearest monster crowd as his tails battered, speared, and crushed anything behind him. Percy was just doing his best to keep pace before a massive burst of Greek fire was absorbed. The an to had done it simply crushed the explosion in his fist as he kept walking forward, straight out onto the water of the reservoir instead of around it.

 _"_ _Hyperion…Titan Lord of Light and the East. But something's off…I can't put my finger on it but we need to face him. No time to waste."_

Noir backflipped and extended his leg, smashing a Laistrygonian up into the air as the kick connected with his chin, before he sheathed a Kukri. Noir's palm strike blasted the giant through the monster ranks and onto the reservoir, where his body skipped a couple times before being bisected by Hyperion whose sword flashed; ending the poor monster.

Percy sprinted out to meet Hyperion while Noir whipped his tails, forcing an entire battalion of monsters back, or sent them flying into their compatriots where they either knocked them sprawling, or impaled themselves upon their allies' weapons. Noir simply stepped forward and vanished before he walked out from behind Percy, almost as if he'd popped out of his shadow. Hyperion smiled, his massive tombstone teeth and stretched smile gave away everything Noir needed to know.

 _"_ _Fate must be quite muddled if Gluttony can give you even that miniscule amount of his power."_

Hyperion's smirk didn't falter as he waved his sword dismissively.

"Didn't need it to squash the lot of you like the insects you are. This just makes it easier."

He readied his sword while Noir stepped back and held his palms parallel to each other vertically.

 _"_ _Percy. I need 120 seconds before I splatter this shit bag all over the park. Buy me that, and this battle is over."_

Percy nodded while Hyperion's smirk vanished.

"Too bad he can't even do that!"

Percy twisted and used the water he stood on to reinforce his stance. He met Hyperion's down stroke with a horizontal cleave packed with every bit of weight and muscle he had. Needless to say Hyperion's strike was shattered and so was his footing. Spinning hard and fast, Percy lashed a water encased left foot out where it slammed into Hyperion's stomach. The Titan grimaced before he grinned.

"That all you got?"

Percy's smirk was his response as the water that encased his leg blasted the Titan backwards across the surface of the water.

 _"_ _I may have lied. I need another 2 minutes. Someone is trying to block my power."_

Percy didn't even look behind him as he rode a wave towards Hyperion.

Percy and Hyperion's blades clashed in a blaze of sparks. Percy was using every trick in the book just to keep Hyperion in check while the Titan's blows seemed to only get heavier.

"You future's not looking to bright kid!"

And just like that Percy couldn't see a thing. It was years of battle experience and instinct that made him drop below the water surface and under a blow that would've left him leg less. He opened his eyes and could see before wondering what in the Hades Hyperion had done to blind him. He ignored it and shot out of the water on a 15 foot wave that roared towards the Titan. Hyperion glowed and water began to steam but he was too slow on the gather. His flames were outed as the wave washed over him and swept him off his feet. Percy was already bringing Riptide down when he Hyperion rolled out of the way.

He stood once more and the two faced off again.

'He's ridiculously hot…So all I have to do is cool him down!"

Percy rose another wave as Hyperion shot his hand out, evaporating the water wall in a burst of heat and light only to reveal Percy had disappeared. Percy launched himself into the air behind the Titan and was blocked from cleaving the massive glowing annoyance in half. But that was the plan anyway. Percy baseball slid between Hyperion's knees and, in a movement reminiscent of Noir, somersaulted into a hand stand kick that brought the water Hyperion was standing on up behind his rising feet. The water streamed around Hyperion and formed a vague pillar before it froze.

"Wha-What! You father is the god of Oceans not ice!" Hyperion exclaimed.

"And the Artic-Ocean is the world's largest Jacuzzi then?" Percy retorted.

Hyperion frowned harshly before he began to glow.

"Then let's see how you do when daddy's not here to help!"

Hyperion's power exploded outwards and sent Percy skipping across the water and through a tree before he landed painfully in a self-made crater.

"Hate it when they do that…" He muttered as he went to stand.

When he looked up Hyperion was about to drive his sword through his chest. No it wouldn't kill him due to the curse, but it would definitely hurt like hell. Too bad Hyperion learned to fly the hard way.

Noir blinked in front of Percy in 10^-8 of a second and in the next full second he kicked Hyperion in face with enough force to flatten a tank (He was really sad about not getting to crush the tank).

Hyperion found himself on the other side of the reservoir as Noir stood calmly on reservoir with a blade whose color he couldn't make out. The sword itself was a standard longsword with a guard reminiscent of a Claymore. Rather than forming a Y shape, the guard tips ended in 2 flat sections that were perpendicular to the blade. The only part of the blade that made any sort of visual sense were the guard, grip, and core. Both the core and grip were profoundly black, while the guard looked as though it had been made out of liquid lava. Dark patches and areas of intense light roiled over the guard while the rest of the actual blade continued to baffle the titan.

 _"_ _Mr. Super Powerful Titan Guy, tell me. Do ya know how much a teaspoon of Neutron Star Material weighs?"_

"Nope, but not that you're involved, I don't have to bother following the guidelines of Fate!"

Hyperion's warp speed lunge shattered the ground he had been standing on. The 15ft wide, 8ft deep crater forced demi-gods and monster apart as they were once again sidelined as to ridiculously powerful immortals clashed. Noir simply raised his mesmerising blade calmly and stopped Hyperion's strike cold. The Water in the reservoir was blown away from the transference of force. While Noir simply remained standing on air. Hyperion frowned before umping back. With a yell he charged forward while his sword glowed as bright as the sun. Noir lazily swung his blade, but realistically holding the damn thing was a pain beyond belief.

 _"_ _The density of a Neutron Star Material is so great that a teaspoon weighs a whopping billion tons."_

Their swords clashed and Hyperion's weapon shattered into pieces. His blade practically vaporized as he jumped back in pure, unadulterated shock.

 _"_ _Take a swing and guess whose sword is made outta the shit."_

Hyperion drew his symbol of power, the Gold Great Sword (Chrysafenios). However the gold part was a lie. The Blade itself was forged from pure, solidified light. The entire thing was so incredibly white that many barely managed to keep track of the battle through scrunched eyes, while the water of the reservoir slowly settled beneath the two powerhouses again. Noir hefted his blade onto his shoulder with a single hand.

 _"_ _It's about time you learned the_ _ **weight**_ _of your sins."_

With that he vanished in a blur of speed.

 **A/N: Welp you guys know the drill, leave a review if ya liked it. =3**


End file.
